SCOTLAND CONTINUES TO HAVE THE WORST DRUG-RELATED DEATH RATE IN EUROPE
‘These initial survey results have clearly shown that the training requirements over the next few years will focus primarily on: HIV and Hepatitis C testing and treatment, sexual health, stigma, harm reduction and homelessness.
‘Our aim is to support services where these issues can be raised and people receive encouragement to feel confident in discussing challenging topics as well as engaging with services and, if appropriate, being signposted to where they can get the support and care they may need.
The initial SDF survey results come at a time when drug deaths in Scotland have reached a new record, with 1339 people recorded as dying last year from drug overdoses or the cumulative effects of years of addiction.
Statistics agency, Scottish National Registries, has revealed that the figure indicates a five per cent increase in drug-related deaths recorded in 2019. Scotland continues to have the worst drug- related death rate in Europe, with 21.2 deaths per
1,000 inhabitants, more than three and a half times higher than the rest of the UK.
Even more worryingly, this is the seventh consecutive annual increase.
Laura Wilson, Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS) Policy and Practice Lead, highlighted the fact that pharmacy could play a role in helping to reduce drug harms and deaths.
‘It’s concerning,’ said Laura Wilson, RPS Scotland Policy and Practice Lead, ‘that drug-related deaths and hospital admissions continue to rise in Scotland. Many of these deaths are preventable. Pharmacists, and pharmacy teams, already play a big role in supporting and providing treatment to people who use drugs, as well as offering harm reduction services and advice. The RPS wants to build on this fantastic work by enabling them to do even more to reduce harm from drugs.’
‘These figures confirm that Scotland’s national public health emergency continues,’ added David
Liddell, CEO, Scottish Drugs Forum in a recent statement. ‘These deaths are personal tragedies. Families and communities are left to grieve. The trauma will be felt through generations and for years. These deaths represent a scar on the nation’s conscience and serve as a reminder of our collective failure to support vulnerable people and their families in the moments when they most needed support.
‘Only 35-40 per cent of the 58000 people with a drug problem in Scotland are in treatment. In the rest of the UK that figure is nearly double Scotland’s rate. Why is that? It may be painful to admit, but for many people in desperate need, treatment, in too many parts of Scotland, is neither accessible nor acceptable. That has to change if we are to deliver on the National Mission to reduce drug deaths.
Blood borne virus Key points for community pharmacy: • Signpost patients to appropriate support organisations
•Prevent accidental transmission of disease by following Infection Control Guidelines in practice
•Promote vaccination against Hepatitis B 152 137 71 62 46 29 15 16 12 10 9 41 43
Substance Use (Drugs) Substance Use (Alcohol) Sexual Health Housing/Homelessness Mental Health Physical Health Criminal Justice Vulnerable Young People Gender Based Violence LGBTQI+ Transactional Sex Refugee/Asylum Seeker
36
Some pharmacies may: • Offer support for dried blood spot testing for Hepatitis C and HIV
• Dispense antiviral medicines for Hepatitis C •Provide ‘injecting equipment’ to prevent spread of disease
THESE FIGURES CONFIRM THAT SCOTLAND’S NATIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY CONTINUES
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