References

Camacho C, Webb RT, Bower P, Munford L Risk factors for deaths of despair in England: an ecological study of local authority mortality data. Soc Sci Med. 2024; 342 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116560

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities. From harm to hope: a 10-year drugs plan to cut crime and save lives. 2022. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/from-harm-to-hope-a-10-year-drugs-plan-to-cut-crime-and-save-lives/from-harm-to-hope-a-10-year-drugs-plan-to-cut-crime-and-save-lives (accessed 27 November 2024)

Department of Health and Social Care, Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. Widening the availability of naloxone. 2019. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/widening-the-availability-of-naloxone/widening-the-availability-of-naloxone (accessed 27 November 2024)

Department of Health and Social Care. Expansion of life-saving opioid overdose treatment. 2024a. https://www.gov.uk/government/news/expansion-of-life-saving-opioid-overdose-treatment (accessed 27 November 2024)

Department of Health and Social Care. Expanding access to naloxone. 2024b. https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/consultation-on-expanding-access-to-naloxone/consultation-on-expanding-access-to-naloxone (accessed 27 November 2024)

Department of Health and Social Care. 10-year strategic plan for the drug and alcohol treatment and recovery workforce (2024–2034). 2024c. https://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/PRN00937-10-year-strategic-plan-for-the-drug-and-alcohol-treatment-and-recovery-workforce-2024-to-2034.pdf (accessed 27 November 2024)

Dernie F, France HS, Thomas ET Preventable deaths involving opioids in England and Wales, 2013-2022: a systematic case series of coroners’ reports. J Public Health. 2023; 45:(4)e656-e663 https://doi.org/10.1093/pubmed/fdad147

Life-saving overdose drug to be given without prescription. 2024. https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cd1880v8rero (accessed 27 November 2024)

Office for National Statistics. Deaths related to drug poisoning in England and Wales: 2023 registrations. 2024. https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/birthsdeathsandmarriages/deaths/bulletins (accessed 27 November 2024)

Opioid overdose and naloxone

02 December 2024
Volume 6 · Issue 12

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).

Register now to continue reading

Thank you for visiting Journal of Prescribing Practice and reading some of our peer-reviewed resources for prescribing professionals. To read more, please register today. You’ll enjoy the following great benefits:

What's included

  • Limited access to our clinical or professional articles

  • New content and clinical newsletter updates each month