By stewartb
On the UK and Health pages of The BBC News website this morning (14 May): ‘Life-saving overdose drug to be given without prescription’.
It’s about extending of availability in England of naloxone, the drug given in an emergency to those at risk of death from an opioid overdose. The same story featured in news bulletins throughout Radio 4’s Today programme.
Much praise for the UK government in taking this decision!
No mention of Scotland’s world first in making naloxone widely available for emergency use.
The Scottish Programme reported on TuS:
Scotland was the first country in the world to implement a national naloxone programme
Access to potentially life-saving naloxone kits, which reverse the effects of an opioid overdose, is being expanded to community pharmacies across Scotland.
All community pharmacies will now hold at least two naloxone kits – either a nasal spray or injectable.
The Emergency Access Naloxone Scheme, which is backed by £300,000 of Scottish Government funding, begins today (Mon).
Drugs and Alcohol Policy Minister Elena Whitham said:
“Through our National Mission to reduce drug deaths and harms, we have invested more than £3 million in widening access to Naloxone, including through our emergency services.
“Police Scotland recently completed a force-wide rollout to 12,500 officers who have used the kits more than 300 times and, according to the most recent statistics, 70% of those who are at risk of opioid overdose are being provided with a lifesaving kit.
“However, we want to do even more. This new nationwide service is a welcome addition to existing services. It provides a substantial increase life-saving emergency access and I’m grateful to all those in community pharmacies who are supporting our £250 million National Mission to reduce drug deaths.Lifesaving overdose-reversal scheme – gov.scot (www.gov.scot)
It seem certain that this world-first scheme was a major factor in last year’s first major fall in drug deaths:
From healthandcare.scot, in August 2023:
An independent evaluation of a mass media campaign on how to prevent drug deaths show it has had a positive impact on public awareness and increased the community supply of life-saving naloxone.
The Scottish Government commissioned ‘How to Save a Life’ campaign led to a surge in take-home naloxone – medication which can temporarily reverse an opioid overdose – during its run time between August and October 2021.
[Drug deaths began to fall by 21% in 2022, after falling by 1% in 2021 for the first time after years on climbing]
Adverts on television, radio, social media as well as physical advertising like billboards directed the public on how to access e-learning to administer naloxone and order the kits to their homes. The total number of kits distributed across the community in Scotland increased by 126% to a peak of 27,000 during the mass media campaign.
CEO Kirsten Horsburgh says the evaluation shows the real value and impact of the campaign:
“It is important to understand that many will have reached parts of the community that have not previously been reached in terms of naloxone supply.
“When naloxone kits reach the most marginalised people, are used in an emergency overdose situation and people are then re-supplied with naloxone, we see the potential for sustained impact initiated through the campaign.”
Scotland was the first country in the world to implement a national naloxone programme, which saw take-home naloxone (THN) given to those released from prison and distributed to community drug services.
Naloxone provision has since been expanded to the police [from February 2022] ambulance crews and even Edinburgh taxi drivers. Anyone in Scotland can now order a free naloxone kit from national charity Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol & Drugs (SFAD) and be trained in its use.https://healthandcare.scot/stories/3561/naloxone-drug-deaths-scotland#:~:text=The%20Scottish%20government%20commissioned%20’How,between%20August%20and%20October%202021.
Opiates and opioids [treatable with Naloxone], including heroin, morphine and methadone, were implicated in more than 8 out of 10 drug related deaths in 2022.
While this major drop in drug deaths will not be due to only one factor, the Scottish Government’s world-leading scheme seems, on the evidence, to have been central to this success.
Neither the opposition parties nor the media in Scotland are rushing to praise it.
1,051 people died due to drug misuse in 2022, according to latest statistics published by National Records of Scotland. This is a decrease of 279 deaths compared with 2021, representing the lowest number of drug misuse deaths since 2017. https://www.nrscotland.gov.uk/news/2023/drug-related-deaths-decrease#:~:text=1%2C051%20people%20died%20due%20to,drug%20misuse%20deaths%20since%202017
Talking-up Scotland 'Albatraz' 
As far as the national media are concerned we of course have become accustomed to the fact that any ‘good news’ for England is appropriately attributed to the UK Government and any ‘bad news’ is appropriated instead to the Uk as a whole to include Scotland as e.g in the scandals of failing Maternity units and other issues solely in England.
LikeLiked by 2 people
If only there was a national broadcaster who could highlight the facts as these apply to issues in Scotland .
Maybe Scottish people could pay a ‘licence’ to support a TV/radio company to put the case for Scotland /Scottish Government /SNP so that the public could be kept informed of how issues affect Scotland vis-a-vis the UK .
I don’t think this is a goer !
LikeLiked by 2 people
Half the voters in Scotland have no idea of the benefits a SNP government has brought them.
A Brit at media certainly won’t be telling them.
LikeLiked by 2 people
“Half the voters in Scotland have no idea of the benefits a SNP government has brought them”
Spot on…..
All news must be bad news…..with much of it regurgitated as in revisited and always with input from the opposition and their ‘take’ on that news…..plus as news it is presented as either “controversial” or a “Fiasco”……..
There is no respite for the SNP from the MSM in Scotland…..it vicious, relentless and as political news is unbalanced compared to coverage on any negativity connected to other political parties…..
That’s a vendetta and it’s main objective is to ensure that opinions of voters are influenced by this supposed ‘bad’ news with the ultimate goal for the MSM, being that , via their concerted and combined efforts, in what is very much considered as far too many excessive attempts, they seek to try to sway (brainwash) voters in Scotland to reject the SNP and thus support another political party……it’s so blatant that it is sickening.
NMRN
LikeLike
£250million, over five years, funding proper, total abstinence, rehab. New rehab facilities in the Borders and Dundee. More to come. Castle Craig Peebles one of the best rehab facility in the world. More young people going to NA/AA to become well.
LikeLiked by 1 person
The BBC’s hatred of independence parties dates back to when the SNP started to take 2nd place is constituencies then to win them. BBC Glasgow was a Labour stronghold and journalists and managers were livid to see their pals (and sponsors) lose seats and power. Remember Wark’s interview with Salmond after McConnell was defeated. How dare Salmond take the role that should rightly have been that of Wark/Clements buddy Malawi Jack. Remember the glee of Wark and The Honourable Sarah Smith during the Salmond trial with teaboy James Cook carrying messages between the two ladies. And we pay for it.
LikeLike
IT MAKES ALL INDY SUPPORTERS
WITH GLEE KNOWING ALL THESE FILTHY UNIONISTS
are now not getting free money from the poor
LikeLike