Carry Naloxone app aims to prevent opioid overdoses in Somerset

The emergency naloxone treatment comes in the form of a nasal spray

A medicine that can prevent death from a drug overdose is available via an app for the first time in England.

The Carry Naloxone mapping app, launched today, shows where the free treatment can be obtained in Somerset.

Naloxone is a medication that can reverse a heroin or methadone overdose and save a life if it is administered quickly.

The app is part of a pilot scheme that also involves a free home-delivery service for the medication.

Naloxone kits will be delivered by Turning Point's Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service (SDAS), commissioned by Somerset Council, to anyone who thinks they may need it.

Anonymity can be guaranteed if requested.

Sarah Butterworth from the Somerset Drug and Alcohol Service said the pilot has been launched in Somerset as the programme's leader, Deborah Hussey of Turning Point UK, is based in the area.

"But there has also been a marked uptick in opioid deaths recently due to the increase in synthetics on the street, which are far stronger than many users expect," she said.

400 police officers in Bristol recently received training in how to administer naloxone after a batch of heroin claimed several lives, it was reported on BBC Points West last month.

Office of National Statistics figures suggest that there were 4,859 deaths as a result of drug poisoning in 2021, which was 81% higher than in 2012. Around half of these were related to opioids.

"Naloxone has been known to bring people back from the brink of death. It works in as little as two or three minutes once it's given," said Ms Butterworth.

The app provides a directory of locations where the medication can be obtained, including local pharmacies and needle exchanges.

It also describes how to recognise the signs of an overdose and how to administer the treatment which can be done either nasally or via a needle.

A spokesperson for Somerset Council said that training sessions will be available on Thursday this week at the SDAS in Yeovil and Taunton.

Scotland was the first country in the world to introduce a national naloxone programme. "But this app goes further, in the sense that it makes naloxone more readily available," explained Ms Butterworth.

Councillor Adam Dance, lead member of Public Health, Equalities and Diversity at Somerset Council, said: "Naloxone should be seen as an essential medication and thought of in the same way as a defibrillator, or an EpiPen for anaphylactic shock."

If the project is a success in Somerset, it is hoped the programme will be rolled out across England.