HMP Barlinnie
I wanted to share the awesome work of the Naloxone Peer Mentor Programme, from within Barlinnie, with you:
For those of you who do not know what Naloxone is, it is an opioid overdose reversal medication in both a nasal spray and muscular injection. Believe me, having survived 13 years of addiction, with Heroin being my drug of choice, Naloxone works; it saved my life although I was not grateful for it at the time!
During my recovery from substance misuse, I have worked in various rehabs, detox centres, and have been part of the Naloxone delivery in the community. It is fair to highlight that there is an opioid epidemic here within Scotland and the UK as a whole.
Despite many happy years working in Health/Social care, I landed here in the big house known as ‘BARL-L’. I was amazed to find that through the innovative and forward-thinking NHS Health Improvement Team here that Naloxone Peer Mentors were being utilised.
I signed up to the Mentor Programme and found I was successful along with four others from my hall. Each of us received accredited training for trainer’s courses in the delivery and use of Naloxone.
The peer led approach means that each of the mentors take a week a piece to train any planned liberations leaving our hall in the use of Naloxone. This approach breaks down any barriers and aim to provide people with the knowledge and confidence to help save a life if they were to encounter an opioid overdose. Not to mention valuable, use in any non-breathing emergency, CPR skills.
One thing that has struck me more than most is not only are we potentially saving lives from behind prison bars but also how well accepted the Naloxone Mentor Programme is by Hall Staff, Managers, Governor’s etc.
In addition to HMP Barlinnie, there are currently two other prisons within the SPS estate offering this method of training delivery. Between the mentors, we have been able to train more than 1,300 people leaving custody! Plans are in place to expand this approach to other prisons across the SPS estate.
Being a Naloxone Mentor has given me a sense of purpose and responsibility during my time behind bars, and for that, I am grateful. I would like to give a shout out to my fellow Mentors for their efforts and to NHS Health Improvement staff for accepting me/us on to the programme, for the training and for the ongoing encouragement.
I hope that this innovative approach continues to flourish and that more organisations / institutions adopt a similar strategy.
Being able to provide a lifesaving, life changing, intervention is a priceless opportunity, not just from within a prison! #StopTheDeaths
CLICK THE LINK BELOW to view a video and see other resources on how you too could save a life.