‘No role for pharmacists’ in UK’s first safe drug consumption room
There are currently no plans to employ pharmacists at the UK’s first legal supervised healthcare setting, where people “can inject drugs obtained elsewhere”, C+D has learned.
“There is no role identified for pharmacists in the safe drug consumption facility (SDCF)” set to open next month, C+D has learned.
The room, located at 55 Hunter Street, Glasgow, will be the first UK space where “people can consume drugs, obtained elsewhere, in the presence of trained health and social care professionals” according to Glasgow City Health and Social Partnership (HSPC).
The services “focuses on reducing the harms associated with injecting drug use”, “helps people access appropriate services to meet their needs” and reduces “the risk of overdose and infectious diseases,” it said.
“This will be the first SDCF in Scotland and the United Kingdom,” it added.
The room is planned to be “operational by the end of October”, a Glasgow HSPC spokesperson this week (August 27) told C+D.
C+D understands earlier this month, city convener for homelessness and addictions services Councillor Allan announced the opening date as 21 October.
But “at this stage” there are no plans for pharmacists to be among the “health and social care professionals” staffing the facility, the spokesperson told C+D.
Wider services “involve pharmacists”
But the spokesperson said that pharmacists will be involved in “the wider services that will support the SDCF”.
“The enhanced drug treatment facility, drug-checking and alcohol and drug recovery services all involve pharmacists,” they told C+D.
“The SDCF is staffed by a multi-disciplinary workforce consisting of nurses, social care and social work staff, harm reduction workers, psychology, admin and a medical clinical lead,” they added.
Glasgow HSPC’s website has stressed that service users must be “over the age of 18 years”, “can only use the drug they bring onto the site” and cannot share, sell or “help others to make up or inject drugs” on the site.
Naloxone “out of stock”
The news comes as Community Pharmacy England (CPE) yesterday (August 28) warned that “naloxone 1.8mg/0.1ml nasal spray unit dose is out of stock until weekend commencing September 30”.
The “life-saving drug…reverses the effects of an opioid overdose,” according to the UK government.
In May, it greenlit plans to allow “registered pharmacy professionals” to supply take-home naloxone.
In October, Scotland launched a nationwide pharmacy naloxone service meaning all Scottish pharmacies now hold “at least” two naloxone kits.
In August, staff at Sheffield’s Wicker Pharmacy prevented two overdose deaths just a week after receiving naloxone training.
