Overdose Prevention Services in the UK  Drug-related deaths are a public health crisis in the UK, with many deaths linked to injecting drug use. Enhanced harm reduction services – including facilities known as overdose prevention services (OPS), drug consumption rooms, or supervised injecting facilities – have shown to be effective in saving lives and reducing  …

  In this week’s Drug Science podcast Professor David Nutt is joined by Matt Southwell and Dr Gillian Shorter for a conversation about preventing drug related deaths and the need for supervised injection facilities in the UK. Dr Gillian Shorter is currently a Senior Lecturer in Clinical Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, with 17 years’  …

Diamorphine-assisted treatment is the prescription and provision of hygienic, medical-grade diamorphine to patients in a clinical set-up – patients attend a clinic and are dosed by a clinician once or twice a day depending on individual needs. Drug-related deaths in the UK have risen significantly over the past 10 years, with a steep increase in  …

In the United Kingdom, in 2020, there were 4,517 deaths related to illicit drug use; the highest rate of drug related deaths since records began. It is necessary to provide the full range of evidence-based drug treatment and harm reduction interventions to prevent these deaths. Overdose prevention centres are healthcare facilities where people consume their  …

Authors Published Gillian W Shorter, Magdalena Harris, Andrew McAuley, Kirsten MA Trayner, Alex Stevens May 4, 2022 Background The United Kingdom (UK) is currently experiencing a public health crisis of drug-related deaths. The government has rejected recommendations to open overdose prevention services, under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. To report on the operation and  …

Drug Consumption Rooms (DCRs), also known as Supervised/Safe Injection Facilities (SIFs), or Overdose Prevention Centres (OPCs), provide safe environments for people to consume controlled drugs under the supervision of trained professionals who can save lives if medical emergencies such as overdoses take place. These facilities can be a powerful harm reduction strategy when implemented correctly.  …

Supervised Injection Facilities (SIFs) are known by many names including Safe Injection Facilities, Overdose Prevention Centres, and Drug Consumption Rooms. There are subtle nuances between these amenities, but they all function to provide safe spaces for people to consume controlled drugs under the supervision of trained professionals who can save lives if overdoses occur. Drug-related  …