Naloxone is to be made more accessible at homelessness services so that it can be given out to people in non-emergency scenarios and to the public in emergencies. It is a prescription-only medicine and temporarily reverses the effects of opioid overdose, allowing time for emergency medical help to arrive.
The Government has unveiled plans to expand access to the life-saving medication with a 10-week UK-wide consultation launched today.
The move is a central part of the Government’s comprehensive approach to substance use issues and treatment, supported by a record £3.4 billion over the next three years up to 2029.
Deaths involving nitazenes, a synthetic opioid, in England have increased substantially from 52 reported deaths in 2023, to 180 deaths in 2024.
Sean Palmer, Executive Director of Strategy and Transformation at St Mungo’s, said:
“St Mungo’s has long campaigned for wider access to life-saving Naloxone; we welcome this announcement as it provides wider access to a vital tool for supporting people experiencing homelessness who are also using opioids. Naloxone saves lives, it gives people the chance to recover and walk the path out of homelessness for good.
“At a time when opioid use and the risks associated with it are rising, naloxone is widely used across our services; our outreach teams never go out without it, our colleagues are trained on how to respond to an opioid overdose and frequently save lives.
“We know that substance use can become a coping mechanism for people who feel they have run out of options – especially for people with complex physical and mental trauma, which is too often both a cause and consequence of homelessness.
“We welcome the Government’s acknowledgement, in its National Plan to End Homelessness, of the need for more integration between housing and health services, including substance use services to hasten recovery amongst people experiencing homelessness, and to prevent more unnecessary and tragic deaths.”
Legislation brought in by this Government in December 2024 expanded the list of organisations and emergency service professionals able to supply take-home naloxone – including to police officers, paramedics and to probation workers. Despite these changes, barriers remain due to lack of public awareness and stigma.
The new proposals aim to address some of the remaining barriers and reach more people.
