Home | Archive | Weekly | ReportsWeekly news - 9th December 2022 |
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In date order, Monday to Friday
Correspondence: ACMD advice on the classification and schedule of Remimazolam
The ACMD is grateful to the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) for providing a written dossier and oral presentation on the ultra-short-acting Benzodiazepine Remimazolam (Byfavo). Further to these representations, the ACMD is able to provide advice regarding the appropriate classification and schedule for this medicine | ACMD, UK
Alcohol use during pregnancy and motherhood: Attitudes and experiences of pregnant women, mothers, and healthcare professionals
Alcohol exposed pregnancies can have serious consequences to the fetus, and the UK has one of the highest rates of drinking during pregnancy. Alcohol use during motherhood is also a public health concern, linked with potential harms to the woman and child. This qualitative study investigated the attitudes and experiences of pregnant/parenting women and healthcare professionals regarding maternal drinking | PLOS One, UK
Designated drivers to get free (non alcoholic) drinks as part of new Christmas scheme
Designated drivers are to get free non-alcoholic drinks as part of a scheme rolled out by South Wales Police. Thirteen licensed premises will offer free draught soft drinks to those who abstain from drinking alcohol to act as the responsible driver for others | Nation Cymru, UK
DDN December 2022 out now
Speakers at Hit Hot Topics talked of dilemmas, frustrations and being on the wrong side of the law (p6). But what shone from their talks was the bravery, resilience, determination and clear purpose in making life (a lot) better for their peers. Our review of the year (p17) reminds us of the struggles at home and abroad, and the pressures we all face. One big positive that seems to have come out of it all is a renewed appetite to work in partnership – particularly the culture of more informed commissioning (p14 and p21) and a harnessing of the collective energy to tackle stigma (p18). We’re also fully involved in helping to skill up the workforce, so please keep participating in our careers series (p22) | DDN, UK
Improving the care and management of patients with alcohol dependency in the emergency department
A nurse led Alcohol Care Team has reduced emergency hospital admissions for patients presenting with acute alcohol withdrawal at an emergency department | Nursing Times, UK
Clearing the smoke: the evidence behind vaping
E-cigarettes (vaping products) offer a substantially less harmful alternative [to smoking], but there has been a heated debate about their use and wide variation in approaches to regulation. Against a backdrop of controversy and disparate knowledge, the Nicotine Research Group at King’s has provided a much-needed body of research to enable an evidence-based approach to policy-making in this area | KCL, UK
Exclusive: Prescriptions rising for anxiety drug linked to 1 in 10 drug deaths in England - video
Pregabalin is a prescription drug used to treat epilepsy, chronic pain and anxiety. It’s regarded as an effective treatment, but it can also cause dependency, addiction, and puts people at higher risk of overdosing on other substances – the reasons why it became more tightly regulated in 2019. Yet figures obtained by Channel 4 News show that the number of patients being prescribed Pregabalin has risen significantly, and so too has the number of fatalities it’s linked to | Channel 4, UK
Webinar Launch: Implementing buprenorphine long-acting (LA) injection in Heath and Justice
19th January 2023 13:00 - 15:00. Online. NHS England Health and Justice has been working closely with OHID to review the implementation of this injectable treatment in the Health and Justice setting, with the aim to support successful implementation of the service through shared learning and development of a suite of practical tools, consistent across all care systems. This webinar is for providers, commissioners and policy makers interested in finding out about: 1) buprenorphine LA injection - OHID support and the evidence-base; 2) findings from a recent survey across all regions; 3) perspective and experience from GPs and pharmacist on key barriers and how these can be overcome; 4) what are the outcomes on service users and their feedback | DHSC, UK
Adult smoking habits in the UK: 2021
Cigarette smoking habits among adults in the UK, including the proportion of people who smoke, demographic breakdowns, changes over time and use of e-cigarettes | ONS, UK
Official Statistics: Local tobacco control profiles: December 2022 update
The extent of tobacco use, tobacco related harm and the measures being taken to reduce this harm at a local level in England | OHID, UK
Number of smokers drops as vaping rises, data shows
The number of people smoking in the UK dropped to its lowest level on record last year but more people were using e-cigarettes, new figures have revealed | BBC, UK
Pioneering Middlesbrough heroin addiction clinic closes
A ground-breaking clinic that provided a legal heroin substitute has closed after losing its funding | BBC, UK
Response to the ACMD report on the misuse of fentanyl and fentanyl analogues
Updated with the government’s response to the ACMD’s fentanyl report | ACMD, UK
Synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists
Updated with the government and devolved nations response to the ACMD report on the harms assessment of synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists | ACMD, UK
National naloxone programme Scotland - Quarterly monitoring bulletin
During 2022/23 Quarter 1 (1 April 2022 to 30 June 2022): 6,549 Take-Home Naloxone (THN) kits were issued and 4,931 THN kits were issued by services based in the community... | Public Health Scotland, UK
Treatment, recovery and Integrated Care Systems – what does it all mean?
Integrated Care Systems now exist in law. But what does that mean for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery services, the public health commissioners in local government who fund them or the people who they support? | Collective Voice, UK
Alcohol-specific deaths in the UK: registered in 2021
In 2021, there were 9,641 deaths (14.8 per 100,000 people) from alcohol-specific causes registered in the UK, the highest number on record. The number recorded in 2021 was 7.4% higher than in 2020 (8,974 deaths; 14.0 per 100,000) and 27.4% higher than in 2019 (7,565 deaths; 11.8 per 100,000), the last pre-coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic year | ONS, UK
Record alcohol deaths from pandemic drinking
A record number of people died from alcohol causes last year, which is likely to be the result of increased drinking during the pandemic, according to the Office for National Statistics | BBC, UK
Naloxone arrives in more Police Scotland divisions
Around 3,000 kits have been issued throughout Edinburgh, Highland and Islands, Dundee and Forth Valley divisions in recent weeks, where operational officers are now being trained and equipped | Police Scotland, UK
Families and homelessness — two new EMCDDA miniguides on responding to drug problems, launched today
Responding to drug problems in families and among those experiencing homelessness is the focus of two new EMCDDA miniguides released today. The resources are the first of five volumes dedicated to people with vulnerability and form part of the agency’s Health and social responses to drug problems: a European guide | EMCDDA, Portugal