The government has launched a consultation on plans to expand access to a life-saving medication that reverses opioid overdoses.
Legislation introduced in December 2024 allowed more organisations and emergency services to supply take-home naloxone, a prescription-only drug that can reverse opioid overdoses.
Police officers, paramedics and probation workers were added to the list. The government is now consulting on extending access to hostels, day centres and outreach services for people experiencing homelessness.
It also plans to introduce publicly accessible emergency boxes, similar to defibrillator cabinets, in high-risk locations such as nightclubs and busy high streets.
The announcement comes as drug-related deaths in England and Wales have doubled since 2012, reaching a record 5,565 in 2024. Deaths involving synthetic opioids such as nitazenes rose from 52 in 2023 to 195 last year.
Minister of state for health, Karin Smyth, said: ‘Every drug death is a preventable tragedy. Naloxone is a safe, effective medication that can reverse an opioid overdose and give someone the chance to access treatment and rebuild their lives.
‘We want to remove the barriers which prevent naloxone reaching the people who need it most at that moment when their life is one the line.’
The consultation is being conducted across the UK and is set to last 10 weeks. If approved, new legislation is expected to be introduced in 2026 through amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012.
Sean Palmer, executive director of strategy and transformation at St Mungo’s, has welcomed the news.
‘St Mungo’s has long campaigned for wider access to life-saving naloxone,’ Palmer said. ‘We welcome this announcement as it provides wider access to a vital tool for supporting people experiencing homelessness who are also using opioids.
‘We know that substance use can become a coping mechanism for people who feel they have run out of options, especially for people with complex physical and mental trauma which is too often both a cause and consequence of homelessness.
‘We welcome the government’s acknowledgement, in its National Plan to End Homelessness, of the need for more integration between housing and health services, including substance use services to hasten recovery among people experiencing homelessness, and to prevent more unnecessary and tragic deaths.’
Image: Volodymyr Hryshchenko
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