Inmates are being primed to apply anti-overdose treatment after a training drive inside Scottish prisons. More than 300 prisoners at Saughton jail in Edinburgh have been trained to administer naloxone, which reverses heroin overdoses.
The initiative, which covered a third of the prison’s population in just one week, acknowledges that jails will be rife with drug taking and seeks to centre help on those most vulnerable. It is hoped they will pass on those skills on the outside to any friends and family members associated with people who take drugs, encouraging them to stock naloxone and be clued up on how to use it.
HMP Edinburgh, HMP Barlinnie and HMP Low Moss now all run a “Naloxone Peer Champion” programme. Run in partnership with SPS, NHS and the Scottish Drugs Forum, it is now likely to be rolled out at other establishments.
