Inverurie supermarket highlights overdose awareness day
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FOR INTERNATIONAL Overdose Awareness day which took place on Tuesday, a thought-provoking End Overdose event was held outside Morrisons supermarket on Blackhall Road in Inverurie.
Morrisons community champion Michelle Ferries headed her team who were also supported by Garioch Connects and Alcohol and Drugs Action (ADA) representative Fraser Hogan.
A beautiful flowering cherry tree had been donated by the Inverurie Environment Improvement group and there were heart-shaped cards and ribbons so visitors could. write a message to a lost loved one and hang it on the tree.
Later in the day the tree was planted in Inverurie town square.
A guest at the event. councillor for Inveruie and District Judy Whyte who was full of praise for this much-needed endeavour.
The team were also handing out home kits for Naloxone injections and nasal sprays which can reverse the effects of opiates which was done in partnership with Garioch Connects, the Central Community Forum and Alcohol and Drugs Action.
Pretty purple ribbons were supplied by Butterfly Fabrics and balloons donated by Nickel 'n' Di'me in the town for the event.
It was also announced that as part of a pilot scheme which has been taking place nationally.
Police Scotland officers have already administered Naloxone nearly 40 times in four months.
The test of change for the nasal spray - which is used as an emergency first aid response to suspected opioid or opiate-related drug overdoses - is the largest of its kind in UK policing, and has attracted significant interest from forces both in the UK and around the world.
Nearly 800 officers have now completed training to use the intra-nasal spray devices, with 81 per cent volunteering to carry the kits during the trial period.
To date, Naloxone has been used at 18 incidents in Tayside Division (Dundee City sub-division), 15 in Greater Glasgow Division (Glasgow East sub-division), three in Forth Valley Division (Falkirk, Grangemouth and Stirling areas) and once in Highland and Islands Division (Caithness sub-division).
Naloxone has now been used in all four test-bed areas, and officers in local custody centres in these areas have also been trained in its use.
Situations where officers have decided to administer Naloxone have ranged from police attending concern for person calls (including attempted suicide), while people are in police custody, and during a siege situation when officers had to force entry to a property.
In all incidents where someone has been given Naloxone by a police officer, they have survived what may have been a life-threatening situation.
The latest administration occurred in Forth Valley Division, just days before International Overdose Awareness Day.
Police responded to calls about an unconscious person and decided to administer Naloxone, which had a near-instant result to re-stimulate his breathing, buying crucial time for paramedics to arrive.
Assistant chief constable Gary Ritchie, head of drug strategy, said: “While our test of change has some way to go, on International Overdose Awareness Day it is poignant to reflect on the impact our officers carrying Naloxone have potentially had on people across Scotland.
“In these incidents where officers have stepped forward to make what is probably a life-saving difference, they have either been flagged down by a member of the public or come across someone in crisis in the course of their duties.
"Had these officers not been carrying Naloxone, the people experiencing a suspected overdose may not have survived.
“We know this isn’t a one-step solution to Scotland’s drug deaths crisis, but we hope it will be part of the bigger, public health-led response.
"We’ve worked closely with partners, including the Scottish Government Drug Deaths Taskforce, Scottish Drugs Forum, the NHS, Scottish Ambulance Service, and others, to get to this point."
Sergeant Graeme Fox is one of the officers who carries Naloxone, and has used it in the course of his duties.
He said: “I carry Naloxone on my belt because I’d much rather save someone’s life than deliver a sudden death message.”
Police Scotland’s test of change will be independently evaluated by a team from Edinburgh Napier and Glasgow Caledonian Universities.
The evaluation will look at attitudes of both police officers and communities, as well as the volume of use of Naloxone, and will involve feedback sessions for officers, stakeholders and people with lived experience.
The findings of the evaluation will be used to make a recommendation as to whether Naloxone may be more widely rolled out for carriage by police officers in Scotland.
