Police to carry life-saving nasal spray to prevent drug overdoses

North Yorkshire Police officers are to begin carrying a life-saving nasal spray to tackle the effects of opioid overdose.

The force has joined 28 other UK police forces by rolling out the spray to response and neighbourhoods policing team officers in the initial phase. The scheme will be gradually expanded over a few years.

More than 250 frontline officers have volunteered to carry Naloxone.

Naloxone, which is safe to use, will be administered by officers via a nasal spray, which is easier to use than the injection-based variant.

Assistant chief constable Catherine Clarke said:

“Naloxone is the emergency antidote used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose. If administered within 15 minutes, Naloxone can restore normal breathing to a person if it has slowed or stopped.

“The main cause of premature death among people who use drugs in the UK is drug overdose. Many of the reported deaths could potentially have been avoided if Naloxone had been administered, which buys more time for medical intervention by ambulance and hospital teams. This really is a life saver.”

Someone who experienced this first hand is Harrogate woman Emma Plant.

Her life was saved by the kit after she accidentally overdosed and was revived with naloxone. Ms Plant was a heroin and cocaine addict for 10 years. She said:

“It just spiralled out of control, I actually used to go over quite a lot and my friends would call the ambulance.”

She experienced an overdose in a shared household. A man in the house found her unconscious and used the naloxone to revive her.

Ms Plant said:

“He used the Naloxone on me and saved my life. What he said to me is that I’d gone blue, I wasn’t breathing, I was gone, and I didn’t believe it. Now I think about it I think, wow, he actually saved my life. I could’ve not been here today if it wasn’t for him having that naloxone on him.”

Ms Plant is now clean and employed as a community engager with Red Rose Recovery in Harrogate. She is also part of the new Peer 2 Peer Naloxone Guardians who will be distributing more Naloxone in the community.

North Yorkshire Police’s harm reduction officer Danny Stannard delivers the first Naloxone training sessions to frontline officers.

As a member of the North Yorkshire Drug and Alcohol Partnership, the force says it has a part to play alongside emergency services and community partners in preserving life and reducing harm for substance users.

A consultation on a draft North Yorkshire substance use (drugs and alcohol) strategy ends on April 30, 2024.

Public health experts and national organisations including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the College of Policing and the Independent Office of Police Complaints (IOPC),  will support the police in using naloxone.

Click below to watch Ms Plant’s story:

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Ripon students learn how to save a life

Students at Ripon Grammar School are being taught vital skills that could help them save a life one day.

Nine sixth formers and five Year 11 students are working towards National Pool Lifeguard Qualification (NPLQ), the most widely recognised lifeguard qualification in the UK & Ireland and a requirement for most lifeguarding jobs.

Trainee lifeguard Neive Zenner encourages others to consider the course:

She said:

“My advice would be, don’t be scared of throwing yourself into everything. You may feel embarrassed to shout across a pool, however the confidence you gain is worth it.”

Course tutor Myles Strudwick, who has been involved in lifeguarding and lifesaving for 20 years, both nationally and internationally, agrees:

He said:

“I am passionate about the development of skills in this area for anyone at any age, and nobody is too young or too old to start taking part.

“Even if it’s not something you use every day, the skills covered might just be enough to save a life one day. And it’s a strange – but thankful – feeling when that happens.”

Henry Grice-Holt, plans to work at Camp America during his gap year, where he hopes the qualification will help him get a lifeguard role.

The 17-year-old, who aims to study medicine after RGS,  inspired him to apply.

Henry, who plans a career in medicine after RGS, pointed out that the most important thing he had learnt was how to perform CPR with the use of a defibrillator:

“I have also been taught how to safely get someone who is unconscious out of the water and get them in the recovery position.”

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Neive, 17, said she was taking the course to help her get an interesting part-time job while at university. The accomplished swimmer added:

“Practical lessons allow you to have hands-on experience and basic first aid training, while theory provides you with the information you need to apply to lessons and even life situations.

“The most important skill I have learnt is communication, I found myself speaking out and answering questions in theory lessons, this then transferred to our pool sessions where we worked in teams relying on verbal skills.”

Henry and Neive use their Wednesday afternoon enrichment period – when sixth formers can take a break from studies to enjoy a range of other activities – to gain their qualification, which involves lessons for two hours a week at the school’s swimming pool, with additional home study.

Year 11 pupils have been taking their lifeguarding classes after school.

As well as being qualified in pool lifeguarding and supervision, with integrated defibrillation and anaphylaxis training, there is the option for the students to gain a First Aid at Work qualification and students, who began the course in November, will gain their qualifications at the beginning of April.