Scottish Drugs Forum assists the rollout of the Scottish Government funded National Take Home Naloxone (THN) programme.
Naloxone is a pharmaceutical drug which can temporarily reverse the effects of an opiate overdose, providing more time for an ambulance to arrive and treatment to be given.
The National Take Home Naloxone programme involves Naloxone being provided to those thought to be at risk of opiate overdose – once they have undergone specialist training.
This training will also be available to their family, friends, carers, partners and other people they associate with and who are likely to be in the vicinity if an overdose occurs.
Scottish Drugs Forum’s role in promoting and participating in pilot programmes during the early development of Naloxone as an emergency intervention measure in Scotland led directly to our involvement in the rollout of the National THN programme, which was launched in 2010.
It is an extension of Scottish Drugs Forum’s pioneering Critical Incidents Prevention and Intervention Training launched in 2004.
The Scottish Government announced a one year extension of the Scottish THN programme roll-out in early 2012.
Scottish Drugs Forum is continuing its work in support of the programme roll-out, with the additional element of providing support for local area service providers to develop peer trainer networks, through our Naloxone Peer Educator Initiative.
These networks will help widen the reach of this life-saving training among drug users, their friends, families and staff working directly with service users.
SDF is also playing a more formalised strategic role to help Alcohol and Drug Partnerships and others embed THN across the care sector in Scotland.
To find out more visit http://www.sdf.org.uk/drug-related-deaths/take-home-naloxone-thn-overdose-intervention-training/
