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A coordinated response to the high drug death rate in Brighton & Hove

Brighton & Hove City Teaching Primary Care Trust

Graham Stevens

Brighton & Hove Drug and Alcohol Action Team, graham.stevens{at}brighton-hove.gov.uk

Angeline Walker

Brighton & Hove Drug and Alcohol Action Team

Hugh Williams

South Downs Health NHS Trust

Andy Winter

Brighton Housing Trust

Veronica Hamilton-Deeley

HM Coroner for the City of Brighton & Hove

Concern about the increasing number of drug related deaths in Brighton & Hove prompted a Confidential Inquiry into 69 deaths. This led to recommendations concerning better data collection, identifying vulnerable populations, improving responses to overdose, and modifying service organization. Heroin-related deaths were halved between 2000 and 2003, but the rate for total drug deaths remained the highest at 25.3 per 100,000 (2003) in participating coroners’ jurisdictions. In a subsequent Capture Recapture study, the prevalence of intravenous drug use in Brighton & Hove was estimated at 2 per cent of people aged 15-44, higher than Liverpool or London. The proportion of opiate drug users dying from opiate overdose was also highest in Brighton & Hove, at 2.1 per cent. A network of interlocking services was established within strong multi-agency partnerships, supplemented by: increasing the numbers in treatment; fast tracking hospital discharges and prison releases into treatment; new specialist posts in the local prison, the accident and emergency department and police custody suite; and participation by pharmacists and primary care services. This was underpinned by good liaison with the coroner.

Key Words: confidential inquiry • injecting • intravenous drug use • multi-agency • partnership • probation • reducing drug deaths

Probation Journal, Vol. 53, No. 3, 265-277 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0264550506066869


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