References
Opioid overdose and naloxone
Deaths from opioid misuse have increased nearly five-fold in the last 30 years in England and Wales and, in 2019, the UK had the highest rate of opioid consumption globally (Dernie et al, 2023). According to the Office for National Statistics (2024), the rate of drug poisoning deaths overall has doubled from 46.5 deaths per million in 2012 to 93.0 deaths per million in 2023, and just under half (46.8%) of all drug-poisoning deaths registered last year involved an opioid.
In England in 2022, opioids were involved in closer to three-quarters (73.0%) of drug misuse deaths (Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), 2024a). Across the UK, however, opioid fatalities make up the greatest proportion of drug-related deaths, with an average of 40 deaths per week (Hughes, 2024).
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