National naloxone programme Scotland: annual
Monitoring report 2021/22 and 2022/23

About this release

This release by Public Health Scotland (PHS) presents information on the number of take-home naloxone (THN) kits issued by the National Naloxone Programme in Scotland.

Accidental overdose is a common cause of death among users of heroin, morphine and similar drugs, which are referred to as opioids. Naloxone is a drug which reverses the effects of a potentially fatal overdose with these drugs.

Main points

In 2022/23:

• 28,689 THN kits were issued in Scotland, which was a 1% decrease compared to 2021/22 (29,075). The annual number of kits supplied in 2021/22 and 2022/23 was substantially higher than in any year up to and including 2020/21 (22,378).
• 22,184 THN kits were issued from community outlets, 1,929 kits were issued in prisons upon release, 3,249 kits were dispensed via community prescription, and 1,225 kits were distributed by the Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS).
• The most common sources of community THN supply were drug treatment services (12,575, 57%); Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol and Drugs (SFAD) (5,042, 23%); and non-drug treatment services (such as homelessness services) (1,581, 7%).
• Of the 28,689 THN kits issued in Scotland, 20,918 (73%) were intramuscular Prenoxad® kits and 7,759 (27%) were intranasal Nyxoid®
• 7,708 THN kits were distributed as repeat supplies. Of these, 2,013 (26%) were issued because the previous kit was reported as having been used to treat an opioid overdose.
• Of the 2,257 THN kits issued via peer-to-peer supply, 1,453 (64%) were distributed from community outlets and 804 (36%) were distributed from prisons.

At the end of 2022/23:

• A total of 151,944 THN kits had been supplied in Scotland.
• The 'reach' of THN (based on the number of people at risk of an opioid overdose supplied with kits between 2011/12 and 2022/23) was estimated to be 705 kits per 1,000 people with problematic drug use.

Chart showing the number of take-home naloxone kits supplied by all sources for each financial quarter from April to June 2011 up to January to March 2023. The National Naloxone Programme has issued a total of 151,944 kits over the twelve years from 2011/12 to 2022/23. A total of 28,689 kits were issued in Scotland in 2022/23 (a 1% decrease compared with 2021/22 (29,075)). In 2022/23, the largest number of kits were supplied between January 2023 and March 2023, with 7,579 kits dispensed.

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Number of Take-Home Naloxone kits supplied, by quarter and financial year (Scotland; 2011/12 to 2022/23)

Background

The overall aim of Scotland’s National Naloxone Programme is to prevent fatal opioid overdoses. Administration of naloxone provides time for emergency services to arrive and for further treatment to be given. Following suitable training, THN kits are issued to people at risk of opioid overdose, their friends and family and service workers in order to help prevent overdose deaths.

Further information

The next release of this publication will be Winter 2026.