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‘Significant challenges’ to meeting government’s drug strategy ambitions, warns National Audit Office
[…] needs to understand how to change behaviours’. Gareth Davies: Government needs to develop a longer-term funded plan. ‘The government has shown a clear commitment to reducing the harm caused by illegal drugs by establishing a cross departmental drugs strategy and committing £900m in the first three years,’ said NAO head Gareth Davies. ‘But much […]
Government bans nitrous oxide
[…] to appear tough on drugs,’ said executive director Niamh Eastwood. ‘Nitrous oxide is a relatively safe substance, and possible health harms could be mitigated through a large-scale harm reduction campaign, educating people on how to stay safe. There is a much bigger risk associated with criminalisation, which impacts life opportunities including education and employment.’ Criminalising […]
A smarter approach
[…] than the criminal justice system. With ‘some of the worst outcomes in the country’ in Blackpool and ‘top of the leaderboard for ten years’ for drug-related deaths, harm reduction lead for public health, Emily Davis, explained how the region was one of the original pilot sites for Project ADDER and had been given the brief […]
Free to breathe
[…] is starting to look decidedly inappropriate. There is an inverse relationship between smoking and deprivation, with the highest levels of smoking, and the highest levels of smoking-related harm, found in the poorest communities. There is probably nothing that would have a greater impact on reducing health inequalities than reducing smoking among the poorest sectors […]
Drug services see reduction in frontline staff
[…] badly affected than others.’ The findings highlighted ‘the impact of the constant cycle of local commissioning and recommissioning, which many respondents felt was disruptive to services and harmful both to clients and staff’, he continued. ‘Over three quarters of those surveyed were working to contracts of three years or less; one in four respondents […]
More than half of services see reduction in frontline staff
[…] badly affected than others.’ The findings highlighted ‘the impact of the constant cycle of local commissioning and recommissioning, which many respondents felt was disruptive to services and harmful both to clients and staff’, he continued. ‘Over three quarters of those surveyed were working to contracts of three years or less; one in four respondents […]
Scotland sees 7 per cent fall in alcohol-specific deaths
[…] that excessive drinking can have, not just on people’s bodies but on their families, careers, and wider relationships. We would like to see more funding put towards harm reduction and treatment services for alcohol, to help turn this year-on-year fall in deaths into a longer-term trend.’ It was important to ensure the drop was the […]
Mutual benefit
[…] ‘So we thought, let’s go to the base of the problem – education and GPs. We looked at four things: information – ‘assume they know nothing’ – harm reduction advice, clinical presentations, and communication. Young people want to trust that you’re listening to them.’ Dr Abida Mohamed, Delphi Medical EFFECTIVE PATHWAYS When the young people […]
Rachel Fantarrow – I am a…
[…] impact the outcome that someone achieves when accessing support for substance use. My role is so varied and can range from things like delivering training, writing guides, harm reduction, medicine management, audits, presenting at external events, community pharmacy visits, destruction of CDs, incident management, drug alerts, managing other pharmacy technicians, recruitment and induction. WHAT DO […]
DDN November 2024
[…] been round the block a few times… but some things have changed very little. We still need a robust (and honest) alcohol strategy. We still talk about harm reduction as if it’s optional. We still rediscover a link between substance use and mental health. We’re still finding that releasing people from prison without all-round life […]
Drug-related deaths up more than 10 per cent
[…] NHS much worse. As mental health issues, financial struggles, inequalities, and dangerous synthetic drugs continue to fuel the crisis, we must do everything possible to make sure harm reduction services reach those most at risk. We are at a critical moment, and strongly urge the government to respond to the calls from the Association of […]
No time to lose
The latest meeting of the APPG on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice was dedicated to looking at alcohol harm and treatment. Guest speakers were from VIA, introduced by the charity’s chair Yasmin Batliwala, who shared statistics to demonstrate the cost – both to individuals’ health and to services. The team would give thoughts on clinical […]
Loop to resume drug testing for festival season
[…] where members of the public can submit drugs they intend to use for testing, and which are then returned to them. Katy Porter: Accurate information enables effective harm reduction ‘The drug market is changing, and we are able to plan and prepare in our harm reduction messaging and response when we are informed regarding the […]
DDN 1402
[…] policies p6 ROOM AT THE TABLE? Discussing funding opportunities at the Creating Recovery conference p18 PROFILE Mat Southwell talks about three decades of work in advocacy and harm reduction p16 w.dr.dinkwwadu 50 YEARS OF DRUG SERVICES IN THE NATIONS CAPITAL w.drinikanrikugsenacursnoisnskm In acSocsanNisu111n 7rkN n57 duossman Nsmsnsur7dmkgseno7n-m75cesn 75smucgionkrr7bb7ekoc7uncunoiscmn 7Nuni7bsan27mnoi7asnI7dugnr csuoan Ni7nikenu7Nismsno7ng713 FE A TU RES […]
Met seizes 150,000 nitazene tablets
[…] needed to address the escalating drug crisis in the UK (Partner Updates, September 2023): Release, alongside EuroNPUD and other drug treatment service colleagues in the UK, have produced harm reduction advice on nitazenes. (News, January 2023): Fentanyl behind 80% increase in New York’s overdose deaths Search the DDN archive for more on nitazenes, fentanyl and synthetic opioids. […]
Open market
[…] sent one of the most vilified substances on the planet. Accompanied by other, highly fresh Hot Topics talks on naloxone, legal highs, club drugs, the drug trade, harm reduction, sex work, employing users and policing, Power’s presentation shed light on the world’s rapidly changing drug market, and with it, a whole new raft of problems […]
DDN Conference 2023 session three: Voices of experience
[…] Ban the Box – a campaign to increase opportunities for people with convictions to compete for jobs: unlock.org.uk/project/ban-the-box BDP – Bristol Drugs Project is a charity providing harm reduction and treatment services for people who are experiencing a negative relationship with drugs and/or alcohol: www.bdp.org.uk Bill Nellis – Drug user activist and founder of the […]
Scotland calls for decriminalisation of all drugs
[…] calls on the UK government to implement decriminalisation ‘of all drugs for personal supply’. The document’s other proposals include immediate legislative changes to allow full implementation of harm reduction measures like consumption rooms and drug checking, and a ‘roadmap for further exploration of drug law reform’. The proposals follow recommendations made by the Drug Deaths […]
Remodelling our alcohol support
[…] on need, choice, and health. We have recognised that we need to work differently, ensuring we develop partnerships to support the varied levels of treatment options, from harm reduction advice and information to brief interventions and community detoxification. We have developed specific pathways for older people and those in the criminal justice system. Whilst this […]
Drinking age
[…] a nationwide public health campaign to show older people not only the extent of the problem but also how they can play a part in their own harm reduction.’ While Dry January is very much based around people who are already health-aware, what’s needed with older people is something to raise that awareness of harm, […]
British Army extends funding for Project Reset
[…] UK. While our Mil-SMART recovery programme will continue as a weekly support group available within the Catterick Garrison Community Hub and as a virtual offer, Project Reset focuses on harm reduction and prevention. It uses presentations to whole units around the dangers and consequences of alcohol use, gambling, and other addictive behaviours, while also educating people how […]
Your letters
[…] system or reduction of benefits’ is not the key, but the ‘evidence-based approach’ he and Caroline Lucas advocate is apparently nothing more than ‘a reduction of drug-related harms’ – not a reduction in drug usage and not a reduction in the number of addicted drug users, both voluntary and involuntary. In my 38 years […]
Another record year for England and Wales drug deaths
[…] over the long term a health-based focus improves outcomes in multiple areas – health, a reduced burden on the criminal justice system, and a reduced cost to society as a whole. Health-based enhanced harm reduction techniques are required here in Wales to help make a step change in outcomes.’ Martin Blakebrough, CEO, Kaleidoscope
Your letters
[…] am told if I give a person a needle and syringe I should record that as the starting point for a person’s recovery journey rather than a harm reduction intervention. The action is the same but the words have changed. The government strategy is condemned by its own think tank, The Centre for Social Justice, […]
Crunch time
[…] was ‘really good news’, he said, and it was important to separate the policy detail from the political framing that accompanied its publication. ‘Although the phrase “ harm reduction” isn’t leaping off every page, one of the three key metrics that the strategy picks out is about reducing harm and deaths.’ The focus on workforce […]
News in brief
[…] Anne Foster. Status report on alcohol and health in 35 European countries 2013 at www.euro.who.int New release Release has launched its new website, featuring a dedicated harm reduction section as well as enhanced policy and legal advice pages. ‘We’re really excited about the new website, which we believe is one of most comprehensive and […]
Be well aware
[…] using the faces of people with lived experience to get its message across. Read about it in DDN Magazine ‘For me it’s about saving a life,’ says harm reduction activist Lee Collingham, one of the faces of the landmark, country-wide naloxone awareness campaign launched last month (see news, page 5). ‘Some areas still haven’t got […]
Drug control a health and human rights ‘disaster’, says IDPC
[…] women and ethnic minority groups, fuelling poverty and inequality, the report says. ‘Women who use drugs are particularly vulnerable to health harms, but their access to gender-sensitive harm reduction and treatment services has not improved over the past five years. Stigma, criminalisation, fear of loss of child custody and other punitive measures play a major […]
Online tool to help find a needle and syringe service
[…] treatment and in reducing the spread of bloodborne viruses like Hepatitis C. At the same time, With You is also releasing a host of online, diagram based harm reduction advice to encourage people who use drugs to do so more safely, including advice on how to use the opioid overdose reversal drug naloxone, how to […]
The Right Questions
Read the full article in DDN Magazine Now in its 30th year, the Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey is a vital tool for harm reduction, says Emily Phipps. This year the Unlinked Anonymous Monitoring Survey (UAM) of people who inject drugs celebrates its 30th anniversary in England and Wales and 18th anniversary in Northern Ireland, making […]
Coronavirus guidance issued for providers and commissioners
[…] should be taking steps to ‘keep face-to-face contacts between staff and service users to a minimum’ and minimising use of biological drug testing, it says. Provision of harm reduction measures and take-home naloxone, should be increased where possible Given the pressure the on NHS and other services it will ‘mostly be necessary to defer drug […]
No time to lose
[…] and urged the group to think about drugs as a global issue. ‘There is an incredible amount of deaths that could have been prevented by access to harm reduction,’ she said. ‘Stigma, lack of access to services and criminalisation make negative experiences for people who use drugs.’ Globally, just as locally, ‘we can’t just think […]
July issue
[…] relevance to you. But the opportunity to share experience with other countries gives fresh perspective and evidence from experience – not just on the effectiveness of incarceration, but on harm reduction measures and their effect on drug users’ behaviour and welfare. It also gives us a rare opportunity to stand back and assess what works back home. This week […]
January issue
[…] Masetti says in our article, it’s important that drug teams know the specifics about these drugs so they are confident in treating clients and know how to dispense essential harm reduction advice. As we begin a new year in which ‘recovery’ is the only flavour for many, the anthrax cases among heroin users in Scotland are a stark reminder […]
DDN July_August 2019
[…] looking for professional, dynamic and results orientated individuals to implement and execute commercial strategies to grow the business through education, solution selling and collaboration. Experience in a harm reduction / needle exchange setting would be an advantage. Ideal locations include Birmingham, Northamptonshire, Milton Keynes, Cambridge, Oxford, Reading and London. We welcome yobr application. For more […]
CZAR GAZING – So how are we doing?
[…] recent trends seem to indicate that this effect is waning). We have been successful in keeping drug-related HIV infections low. The UK was an early adopter of harm reduction practices such as needle exchanges in the 1980s. As a direct result, HIV transmission rates from injecting drug use have remained among the lowest in the […]
So, how are we doing?
[…] recent trends seem to indicate that this effect is waning). We have been successful in keeping drug-related HIV infections low. The UK was an early adopter of harm reduction practices such as needle exchanges in the 1980s. As a direct result, HIV transmission rates from injecting drug use have remained among the lowest in the […]
West Midlands PCC proposes consumption rooms and prescribed heroin
A range of proposed harm reduction measures to cut drug-related crime and deaths, and reduce costs to public services, has been set out by West Midlands police and crime commissioner (PCC) David Jamieson. They include prescribing heroin in a medical setting for people who have not responded to other forms of treatment, establishing a formal […]
A moral imperative
[…] the best chance of recovery. Age-specific mortality rates for deaths relating to drug misuse, registered 1993 to 2016, England and Wales The impact of the abstinence vs harm reduction debates of the last few years, leading directly and indirectly to some some individuals being pushed through treatment systems too quickly, has been over-simplified and dangerous. […]
Strategy for Survival
[…] 2000s drug money was ring-fenced for many political reasons, not least the emphasis on crime reduction and public health, and although it was sensibly targeted mainly at harm reduction services there remained a small niche that offered abstinence. Clients therefore still had some choice of the treatment modalities they were offered. The change of government […]
Highest number of drug deaths in quarter of a century
[…] government claims it wants to protect young people from the harms of drugs, yet its new drug strategy, released in early July, makes no reference to providing harm reduction services for people who use drugs recreationally,’ she said. ‘The government must fund the forensic testing of drugs, including at nightclubs and music festivals, so that […]
A round-up of national news: November 2016
[…] Civil Liberties Union. The document is calling for personal use and possession to be decriminalised for all drugs, as well as increased funding to improve and expand harm reduction services. Every 25 seconds: the human toll of criminalizing drug use in the US at www.hrw.org TROUBLING TIMES The impact of the government’s flagship ‘troubled families’ […]
Definitions
[…] legalised weed. Portugal’s decriminalisation paradigm is viewed by many as a model with demonstrable public health benefits. UK politicians remain wedded to ‘pragmatic prohibition’ – treatment and harm reduction wrapped up in a restrictive legal framework. The words ‘legalisation’ and ‘decriminalisation’ are banded about but, like ‘recovery’, they mean different things to different people. Transform’s […]
Decriminalisation would mean global gains, say medics
[…] a commission of medical experts. The commission, which was set up by the Lancet and Johns Hopkins University in the US, also wants to see better access to harm reduction measures, policies that ‘reduce violence and discrimination’ in drug policing and an end to aerial spraying of drug crops with toxic pesticides. The report has been […]
DDN 0216 web
DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS ISSN 1755-6236 FEBRUARY 2016 DDN service user conference – last chance to book! GETTING INTO THE HARM REDUCTION GROOVE DRINK AR UG DSGE INSIDE De unworkable Psychoactive Substances Bill Are over-50s drinking themselves into an early grave? "P h oen ix F u tu re s’ H am psh ir e […]
National news from the substance misuse field
[…] position next January, replacing Wolfgang Götz, who has held the post since 2005. Mr Goosdeel has been at the EMCDDA since 1999, before which he co-founded Belgian harm reduction NGO Modus Vivendi. BBV boost A new briefing to support local authorities and drug services in reviewing their BBV prevention and treatment interventions has been published […]
Reducing the supply of high strength alcohol
[…] Portsmouth has one of the highest rates of alcohol-related hospital admissions in the south, costing an estimated £74 million annually, with £10 million NHS spend on alcohol harm. The Safer Portsmouth Partnership and Police licensing unit have taken the lead with ‘reducing the strength’, directing the campaign at the worst affected areas. They include […]
Recovery in the North West
[…] contributions to the UK recovery movement The North West of England has a reputation for leadership and innovation in responding to the challenges of addiction. The Merseyside harm reduction response to heroin in the 1980s has taken on legendary status, while the comic capers of Manchester’s Grandpa Smackhead Jones and Peanut Pete were eagerly followed […]
E-cigarettes: a double-edged sword in the battle to stop smoking
[…] 37% (1.7 million) are current smokers, and 320,000 people have never smoked before. Are e-cigarettes useful to help people stop smoking? E-cigarettes can serve as a valuable harm reduction tool to help individuals quit smoking traditional cigarettes. However, it is crucial not to promote them to people, especially young individuals, who have never smoked conventional […]
Every step
[…] with people who use heroin for 20 years, I am well versed in the concepts of harm minimisation. The truism ‘dead people don’t recover’ springs to mind. Harm reduction is the solid foundation on which we can build future recovery. With this in mind, the treatment system I operate within in Birmingham has now started […]
Scotland could be ‘sleep walking’ back to record alcohol deaths
Urgent action is needed to turn the alcohol ‘tide of harm’ in Scotland, says a call from more than 30 medical organisations and charities. We are blinkered to the reality of the high levels of damage alcohol causes said Alcohol Focus Scotland chief executive Alison Douglas Without it the country could be ‘sleep walking […]
Release’s take on the Government’s new Drug Strategy
[…] in the strategy as a life-saving and harm-reducing intervention to be offered across the country. Unfortunately, this is only one of many types of tried and tested harm reduction measures that have been implemented by nations more progressive than ours – including heroin assisted treatment, drug consumption rooms (overdose prevention sites/supervised injecting facilities) or medical […]
HIT
[…] in 1985 to reduce drug-related harm and set up one of the UK’s first syringe exchange schemes. Based in Liverpool, the organisation has an international reputation for developing, advocating and implementing a pragmatic and effective approach to the use of drugs. Hit deliver training in harm reduction and other topics in person and online. Website: https://hit.org.uk/index.php/trainingcourses/in-house-training
News in brief
[…] recovery? Birmingham-based UK Recovery Radio (DDN, March, page 17) has released its second ‘Purple Bull’ podcast – What is recovery? – which focuses on the role of harm reduction. Listen at recoveryradio.blogspot.co.uk Bereaved by addiction DrugFAM’s fifth annual Bereaved by addiction conference will take place in High Wycombe on 12 October. Details at www.drugfam.co.uk, or […]
Alcohol industry would lose £13bn if drinkers stuck to guidelines
[…] £2.50 – and a bottle of supermarket spirits by more than £12 – to maintain current revenue levels if everyone drank within the guidelines. Policies to reduce alcohol harm such as minimum unit pricing had been resisted ‘at every turn’ by the industry, stated lead author Aveek Bhattacharya. ‘Our analysis suggests this may be because […]
Drugs behind ‘huge increase’ in prison violence
[…] problem misusing medication that had not been prescribed to them. The document reveals ‘some of the worst prison conditions ever seen’, with ‘violence, drugs, suicide and self- harm, squalor and poor access to education’ prominent themes. The conditions had no place in the prison system of ‘an advanced nation in the 21st century’, stated […]
ACMD issues stark warning on funding cuts
[…] treatment services and local healthcare should also be strengthened. The report also wants to see more transparency and ‘clearer financial reporting’ on treatment services to challenge local disinvestment and – alongside the recent National Aids Trust’s harm reduction briefing – calls for drug and alcohol services to be mandated within local authority budgets, and/or the commissioning of treatment placed ‘within NHS commissioning structures’. ‘A lack of spending on drug […]
Set target to cut Scots alcohol consumption by 10 per cent, say campaigners
[…] 20 per cent reduction in deaths and hospital admissions’ after 20 years, the report states. Scotland continues to have the highest level of alcohol consumption and alcohol-related harm in the UK, says document, which is published in association with BMA Scotland, SHAAP and Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs. Despite the fact that […]
October issue
[…] Oliver Standing. JOINING FORCES New partnership-led training aims to help victims of domestic abuse incidents where substances are an issue, says Cinzia Altobelli. IT’S WHERE YOU’RE AT Harm reduction should be about ‘meeting people where they’re at’, according to the recent HIT Hot topics conference. Jamie Bridge reports. LIBERTY TO CHANGE Philadelphia is integrating its […]
DDN June 2015
In this month’s issue of DDN… ‘It is worth spelling out that harm reduction reduces harm.’ In this month’s issue: Tracy Walker talks about reducing drug-related damage at music festivals, Philippe Bonnet discusses moving forward with naloxone distribution – and James Dickinson tells the story of Chandos House’s unofficial head of treatment. Click on the links below to […]