Parents of city drug users have been trained to administer an emergency antidote to heroin in case their children overdose.
The move is part of an ongoing bid to reduce drug-related deaths in the city.
In 2009 Brighton and Hove was dubbed the drugs death capital of Britain with 51 users overdosing and dying. A further 35 died in 2010.
A Brighton and Hove City Council Safer Communities report, published ahead of a meeting on March 12, said that through CRI’s PATCHED group, and carers of users were being trained to administer naloxone hydrochloride.
Homeless people living in hostels in the city are also being prescribed the drug – which works best if it is injected within a minute of overdosing – in a bid to cut the death rate.
All hostel staff are set to be trained to recognise the signs of overdose and how to administer naloxone.
Each year 100 outgoing inmates from Lewes Prison are recruited and trained in how to administer the drug in the event of an overdose.
Naloxone is injected intravenously for fastest action.
A Brighton and Hove City Council report said: “One of the aims of the Health Protection Steering Group’s Action Plan to reduce drug related deaths is to increase the availability, and training in the use of, naloxone hydrochloride, which reverses the effect of an opiate overdose.
“In Brighton and Hove naloxone is now available for administration to a range of vulnerable service users.
“Work is in progress to extend the availability of naloxone further.”
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