Image the booklet and cards along with naloxone kits
To celebrate International Overdose Awareness Day 2023 we have just released an overdose awareness toolkit to raise awareness and educate people on what to do during an opioid overdose situation. This is aimed to be used by people who use drugs, members of the public and professionals who might work with people who take opioids.
The toolkit includes a booklet stacked full of useful information, including:
How to spot an overdose
What is an opioid overdose
What to do in an opioid overdose
Information about naloxone
How to lower the chances of an opioid overdose
Where to get support
It also includes credit card-sized cards about how to spot an opioid overdose and how to access naloxone from BDP for people to keep on their person.
This is all timely information as there is a significant rise in opioid overdoses in Bristol and around the country due to the proliferation of synthetic opioids in the drug supply.
To get a physical copy of the kit or for any other queries, please get in touch with us. All of our contact details can be found here – https://www.bdp.org.uk/contact-us/https://www.bdp.org.uk/contact-us/
In a new collaborative project, we have trained up nearly 200 police officers from Avon & Somerset Police to carry and use naloxone.
Naloxone is a medication that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose allowing time for the person to receive emergency medical care.
BDP’s Jake Gazzard training officers to carry and use naloxone
Given the police’s presence on the streets of the city and that they are likely to be first at the scene to an opioid overdose, it makes them the ideal candidates to carry naloxone. We train and equip professionals in any job that may come into close contact with someone who is experiencing an overdose including hostel staff, social workers and homeless outreach. Adding police to this list is an effective way to improve the already expansive naloxone coverage across the city.
Avon & Somerset Police’s Neighbourhood Inspector, Tom Gent said,
“We are committed to working with our partners to reduce the harm caused by drugs in our communities, we’re asking our frontline staff to volunteer to carry Nyxoid, which is being provided free by Bristol Drugs Project. By volunteering to carry Nyxoid, frontline police officers and PCSOs will be able to help save a life should they come across someone who needs immediate help, due to an opioid overdose.”
We also train and equip anyone who uses opioids or knows someone who does. If you would like to be trained, please contact us or drop into our advice centre. Contact details and address can be found here.
BDP Service Manager, Lydia Plant said,
“We are blown away by the number of officers we have trained and the opportunity to save lives this presents. This is an incredibly exciting collaboration, and we celebrate Avon & Somerset Police’s positive approach to reducing the harms faced by people who use drugs in Bristol.”
This project is timely following a spate of overdoses and 6 deaths in the last couple of weeks due to a dangerous batch of heroin circulating in the city. You can find out more about this dangerous batch and how you can keep yourself safe here.
Are you a professional and think you or your organisation should be carrying naloxone? Find out how to book onto a training session here.
A safety warning has been issued in Bristol due to a batch of heroin increasing the chance of overdose following an unusually high number of serious, heroin-related health incidents. Six people have tragically died, and many more have needed emergency medical care.
Taking heroin is always dangerous, but fluctuations in the supply can have tragic consequences for those who use it. It is unclear how far spread this batch is within the city, and there have not been consistent reports on how it looks or prepares, so we would encourage anyone who uses heroin to be very careful.
Some ways you can stay safer if you are taking heroin are:
Avoid using heroin when you’re alone. If you do, try to make sure someone is available to check in on you afterwards.
Don’t use heroin with other drugs that suppress your respiratory system, such as alcohol, benzodiazepines and pregabalin.
Carry naloxone at all times – it could save someone’s life.
Contact BDP to talk to an expert drugs worker. We can provide naloxone, safer use advice and access to a variety of treatment options that could reduce your risk of overdose.
The most powerful tool we have to prevent death from overdose is naloxone. Naloxone is a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. BDP is working closely with partners, including the police, public health and other front-line agencies, to reduce the impact of this batch of heroin, raise awareness of the potential dangers and offer free training in naloxone administration.
Lydia Plant, Treatment Services Manager at Bristol Drugs Project (BDP) said: “Over the last ten days, countless people’s lives have been saved by naloxone. BDP can issue naloxone for free to anyone that needs it – you may be able to save someone’s life with it. Whether you use heroin, live with someone who does or might come across someone overdosing in your community or as part of your job, please visit our website or drop in to BDP to pick some up.”
She continues, “Despite the tragic situation, it has been heartening to see how effectively all of the different partner agencies across the drug and alcohol sector, criminal justice sector and Bristol City Council have pulled together to put strategies in place to mitigate the risk to people’s lives.”
If you are concerned about yourself or someone else, please get in contact. You can call us on 0117 987 6000, Email info@bdp.org.uk or visit 11 Brunswick Square, Bristol, BS2 8PE. More details can be found on our website here www.bdp.org.uk.
For any press request, please get in touch with BDP Communications Lead George Herbert on george.herbert@bdp.org.uk or call 07800 721506
BDP team member alongside the Dentaid mobile surgery
Oral health problems are among the most prevalent health problems associated with drug addiction (1). Many of the people we support struggle with their dental health through numerous compounding factors. These include:
Access to NHS appointments is extremely limited and getting worse. (2)
Opioids increase teeth grinding, give people cravings for sweet foods and numb pain, meaning people can ignore developing and ongoing issues. (3)
For someone who is dependent on a substance like alcohol or opioids, dental health is likely to be a low priority compared to not becoming sick from withdrawal. (3)
Stigma, embarrassment, and previous negative experiences in dental settings can be barriers to people accessing the support they need. (4)
In collaboration with dental health charity Dentaid, we ran two days of dental appointments for people engaged in BDP services from our location in Brunswick Square. Participants received a check-up, could talk to a dentist about any issues they were having and had emergency procedures, including fillings and extractions as needed. Over the two days, we had 23 people with dental issues and barriers to treatment seen by a dentist. The patients were booked in by staff across our services and an allocated Engagement worker who supported them to their appointment. If there were any no-shows on the day, these slots were filled by walk-ins from our advice centre.
Over the two days, we performed:
23 oral assessments
23 cancer screenings
21 extractions
20 fillings
Total of 119 separate treatments between the 23 people
Janet*, who used the service on the day, said:
“Previous bad experiences put me off from going to the regular dentist; I didn’t trust them. Because of who BDP is, the organisation, I trusted it straight away.
It was a really good experience; it’s made me want to follow it up and get more work done. Because of my self-confidence and being so embarrassed about my mouth – I didn’t go places or do anything that I would normally do. “
*Name changed for privacy
References:
(1) Met and unmet need for dental services among active drug users in Miami, Florida, Metsch, Crandall, Wohler-Torres et al. The Journal of Behavioural Health Services & Research, 2002
We are delighted to announce the release of a new set of safer injecting materials we were part of creating. The materials were co-produced by people who inject drugs, service providers, including ourselves and key stakeholders, including researchers from the University of Bristol, Exchange Supplies and Linnell Communications. They are designed to support positive, non-judgemental conversations between service providers and their clients. We supported the research by connecting researchers with people who inject drugs who use our services and select members of our team who specialise in injecting, giving their feedback on the materials.
This work is vital as injecting-related injuries and infections are a leading healthcare concern for people who use drugs. Last year at least half of the people who inject drugs developed a bacterial skin infection. The most common bacterial infections include ulcers, abscesses and cellulitis. These infections can lead to complications such as gangrene, amputation, and endocarditis (infection of the heart). Vein access and reducing pain is also a priority for people who use drugs, and these resources will help meet this need for those who inject drugs.
The materials are all available for free via the University of Bristol’s express licensing portal. The toolkit includes:
Introduction manual, instructions for using the intervention materials, and a ‘questioning and resources’ guide to accompany it.
A link to a short online course for service providers to provide the necessary information and knowledge underpinning the delivery of the materials.
Toolkit consisting of cards covering the following areas:
We are passionate about collaborative and user-focussed research projects, so we are very proud to have contributed to these valuable materials that will help to improve the health outcomes of people who inject drugs.
To celebrate International Women’s Day 2023, we are sharing some insight into how services can positively impact the experience of women by looking at the free crèche we offer during our weekly Women’s Morning. International Women’s Day is a day to celebrate the strength, courage, and resilience of women around the world. However, it is also a time to acknowledge the unique challenges women face, particularly those with caring responsibilities and a negative relationship with drugs and/or alcohol.
Women’s Morning is our weekly open-access support group for women to join in a safe and supportive therapeutic setting. During the session, the attendees can also speak to one of our expert team of drug workers. Our crèche, staffed by professional crèche workers, is open for children under 5s. This isn’t a radical concept but remains an unusual provision in drug services.
Access to treatment
Being responsible for children is a significant barrier for women to access drug and alcohol treatment. Providing free childcare removes the worry of cost and availability of childcare.
Consistency in treatment
Consistency has been shown as a leading factor in the benefits people see when working with drug and alcohol services. The lack of affordable childcare is a barrier to attending regularly. By providing free childcare, women are more likely to be available to attend more sessions leading to more consistent engagement and better outcomes.
Reduced stress
Accessing drug and alcohol treatment while caring for young children can be stressful. Stress can be an emotional trigger leading to familiar patterns of further drinking or drug use to cope. Free childcare can help alleviate this stress and allow women to focus on their goals.
Improvements in children’s wellbeing
Being a parent can be incredibly challenging at the best of times. Dealing with the complex issues surrounding drug and alcohol use can make it especially so. Free childcare improves outcomes for the women attending the group, which in turn, gives better outcomes for children .
We are committed to making our services appropriate for the needs of our community. Every member of our community deserves the ability to access our services freely, and we continue to work to remove the barriers and stigmas faced by people who use drugs and/or alcohol in Bristol.
Want to attend the group?
Women’s Morning runs weekly from 11am-1pm on Wednesdays. The group is open access meaning anyone can turn up on the day – no appointment needed. If you wish to use the free crèche service, we do, however, request that you get in contact beforehand so we can organise with our external crèche worker.
