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Weekly news - 21st June 2024

In date order, Monday to Friday

General election 2024: the health and care manifesto pledges

This resource is intended as a summary of the commitments the three largest parties in England have made for the NHS, social care and public health in their manifestos, associated costing documents and media reports ahead of the general election on 4 July | King's Fund, UK

UK's Labour promises to ban smoking for younger generations

Britain's opposition Labour Party said it would stop the next generation from legally buying cigarettes if it wins a national election on July 4 | Reuters, UK

Young people’s use of disposable vapes: A qualitative study

[Open access] Youth use of disposable vapes has increased markedly in the United Kingdom in recent years, yet little is known about the motivations, experiences and perceptions of young people themselves. This study aimed to explore young people’s experiences and use of disposable vapes | Addiction, UK

Collective Voice appoints Executive Director of Policy and External Affairs

Collective Voice is delighted to announce that Will Haydock will be joining the organisation as Executive Director of Policy and External Affairs in July | Collective Voice, UK

HSE Risk Communication - Monitoring Emerging Overdose Situation

The HSE is issuing a risk communication to people who use drugs following a cluster of overdoses in Dublin and the Mid-West. Analysis by the Emerging Trends Laboratory at the HSE National Drug Treatment Centre has confirmed nitazene in yellow, round counterfeit benzodiazepine tablets associated with these overdoses. The HSE advises that there is EXTRA RISK at this time and strongly recommends people not to take these tablets | Drugs.ie, Ireland

Doctors’ call for cut to England’s drink-drive limit wins wider support

BMA to lobby next government to make legal maximum the equivalent of a small glass of wine or beer | Guardian, UK

Support. Don't Punish - Global Day of Action

June 26, 2024. For over a decade, the Support. Don’t Punish campaign has resourced a global, decentralised network of change-makers in drug policy reform and harm reduction to reduce stigma, end violent and neglectful policies and practices against our communities, and ensure redress for all | IDPC, UK

Interim monitoring report on statutory-funded residential rehabilitation placements

This is the ninth report on residential rehabilitation within the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme led by Public Health Scotland (PHS). The report presents information on the number of Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) statutory-funded placements into residential rehabilitation, with estimated costs, that were approved between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2024. Information is provided at a Scotland level and for each ADP | PHS, UK

Record residential rehabilitation placements

A total of 938 residential rehabilitation placements were approved between 1 April 2023 and 31 March 2024 to support people to attain an alcohol or drug-free lifestyle | Scottish Government, UK

National naloxone programme Scotland - Quarterly monitoring bulletin October to December 2023/24

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on the number of take-home naloxone kits issued by the National Naloxone Programme (NNP) in Scotland. Figures are presented separately for kits issued from community outlets, kits issued in prisons at the point of liberation, kits dispensed via community prescription, and kits issued by Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) | PHS, UK

Austerity spending cuts cost average person nearly half year in life expectancy

The research found that life expectancy dropped by an average of five months for women and three months for men. This equates to about 190,000 excess deaths, or a three per cent increase in mortality rates over the period. Factors responsible for these deaths include ‘deaths of despair’ from drug poisoning. Changes in healthcare spending and welfare accounted for 1000 such deaths which were preventable - approximately three per cent of all drug-poisoning deaths in England and Wales between 2010 and 2019 | LSE, UK

Sharp rise in use of high-strength vapes, research shows

Proportion of adults using e-cigarettes containing up to 20mg/ml of nicotine has increased to 32.5% from 6.6% in 2021 | Guardian, UK

Avoidable mortality in England and Wales: 2021 and 2022

Deaths from causes considered treatable or preventable given timely and effective healthcare or public health interventions in those aged under 75 years. The mortality rate for alcohol-related and drug-related deaths has continued to increase in England and Wales. In England, the ASMR for alcohol-related and drug-related deaths was 25.9 per 100,000 people in 2022, compared with 21.3 in 2019. In Wales, the ASMR for alcohol-related and drug-related deaths was 30.2 per 100,000 people in 2022, compared with 24.2 in 2019 | ONS, UK