Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of availability of naloxone to treat drug-related disorders in (a) England, (b) the North West and (c) Lancashire.

Local authorities are responsible for assessing local need and commissioning substance misuse services, to meet that need. Naloxone provision is commissioned by local authority public health commissioners, working in partnership with local health commissioners. Public Health England (PHE) supports local authorities in this work and has provided advice on naloxone provision to commissioners.

Following the report of the PHE inquiry into drug-related deaths in 2016

http://www.nta.nhs.uk/uploads/phe-understanding-preventing-drds.pdf

work has continued on a programme of activity to map the provision of naloxone in England and support greater consistency in its provision and funding.

PHE North West Centre is supporting this work including consultations with drug treatment service commissioners and providers in the North West, including Lancashire, to identify how naloxone is being provided and how we might improve its availability.