Llanelli custody prepares to start first Naloxone trial in Wales.

The custody unit in Llanelli is about to begin a pilot programme involving a drug which can reverse the effects of an opiate overdose.

During the trial, Naloxone kits will be issued to individuals identified as being at the highest risk of opiate overdose. This pilot project is part of the National Naloxone Take Home Programme.

In the Welsh Government’s 10 year Substance Misuse Strategy – “Working Together to Reduce Harm” – there is a commitment to take actions which focus on reducing the number of drug related deaths and near fatal poisonings.

In July 2009 the Welsh Take Home Naloxone pilot project was launched by Welsh Government in selected areas of Wales. The key aim of the project was to reduce drug-related deaths in Wales. In addition, the project aimed to promote harm reduction and to improve the health and social wellbeing of drug users.

Full national implementation of Naloxone projects was achieved by November 2011. Currently the naloxone scheme is available from 34 sites throughout Wales which include statutory/voluntary substance misuse services, homelessness hostels, and public/private sector prisons. A national report on the distribution and use of Naloxone to reverse overdose is available on Public Health Wales website

Naloxone is a type of medicine called an opioid antagonist, which can be administered to counter the effects of opiate overdose .e.g. Diamorphine (heroin), Morphine, Codeine, and Methadone

Qualified nursing staff will offer to provide training in the use of Naloxone and supply it to any opiate user when they are released from custody. Llanelli is the only custody suite in the UK to pilot the Naloxone programme. Llanelli yw’r unig ddalfa yn y wlad i dreialu’r rhaglen Nalocson

These individuals will be identified through the Tough Choices testing on arrest procedure which is now firmly embedded within police procedures at Llanelli.

Tough Choices focuses on persons 18 years and over who are detained for a trigger offence e.g. theft, fraud, burglary, robbery, begging or possession of a class A drugs. All these are tested.

The drug testing process involves the non-intimate collection of an oral fluid sample and an accurate reporting of the result within a short space of time.

The result of the test can lead to referrals for treatment and can also be used to inform court decisions on bail and sentencing.

Drug testing on arrest continues to be a highly successful tool to identify drug misusing offenders in order to address their behaviour and reduce crime

“Take home Naloxone has been used widely in Wales since 2009, and we are the first custody suite in Wales to offer it,” said Chief Inspector Peter Roderick. “It’s a big step for us, but is a move which we think is really positive and will greatly assist in harm reduction, which is one of our key priorities when it comes to dealing with drugs”.

“The trial will also complement our drug testing protocol which is already well established in Llanelli”. Tough Choices was introduced over two years ago.

“Those who refuse to take part in a test are warned that a failure to provide a sample without good cause is an offence, and they could be charged. Where appropriate, they must also undergo further expert assessment and cooperate with any treatment deemed necessary.

“This approach has had a positive reception in Llanelli so far, and we hope for a similar response with Naloxone.”

Issuing of the take home kits is solely facilitated by the Health-Care Provider which in this case are MEDACS Staff.

“The trial will be a first for any police force, and for Medacs Healthcare, who are providing the necessary training for the nurses and forensic medical examiners involved to enable them to recognise susceptible interviewees, advise them how to recognise the signs of an overdose and administer the Naloxone antidote,” said forensic medical examiner, Dr June Picton. “We see a lot of people coming into custody who have drug problems and the hope is that with a bit of training, family or friends of heroin users who recognise the signs and symptoms of overdose can self-administer the antidote using a ‘take-home-kit’.

“The evidence is there to show that it does in fact save lives and the Welsh Assembly will be monitoring how many kits have been distributed and used. In a year’s time we hope to see figures indicating that people’s lives have been saved.”