Novel synthetic opioids preparedness webinar
Date: 6 Jun 2024
Date and time:
Thursday 27 June 10am-12pm
Location:
Microsoft Teams
About this event:
Swindon Borough Council and Wiltshire Council Public health teams wish to invite key partners and stakeholders to an interactive synthetic opioid preparedness webinar.
As a result of a decrease in heroin supply across the UK, we are seeing synthetic opioids being added to the drug supply chain to increase the potency of heroin. Since June 2023, there have been more than 100 drug related deaths involving nitazenes (powerful synthetic opioids), across the UK, with at least 40 more cases awaiting further analysis.
Synthetic opioids are manufactured drugs that mimic the effects of natural opioids (such as opium or heroin), but can be more harmful. Most synthetic opioids are class A drugs which means they are illegal to have in your possession, give away or sell. Some synthetic opioids are used in the medical field as pain relievers or anaesthetics however, others are produced and sold illicitly and come in powder or liquid form.
With this emerging threat and the potential impact this may have on population health and operational services, the aim of this webinar will be to raise the awareness of the harmful effects of nitazenes.
We would like to encourage attendance to this event which will cover:
- Synthetic opioids – the background and what the emerging threats are
- The national response and risk mitigations
- The local risks and response
- The Wiltshire and Swindon Local Drug Information System
- Harm reduction information and approaches
You will also have the opportunity to ask questions to a panel of professionals across the sector and share best practice with each other to mitigate the risk.
The workshop will be led by experts in the field of substance misuse across Public Health and the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID).
Who can attend?
This workshop is open to all Swindon and Wiltshire Combating Drugs Partnership organisations, wider health and justice partners, voluntary and community sector organisations, those working in the night time economy and anyone with an interest in substance use.
You can book by emailing: SubstanceMisuseTeam@swindon.gov.uk
