Dr Adam Holland, a member of the TARG research group, recently presented at ‘Next Steps for Bristol as a Harm Reduction and Inclusive recovery city’. The event was held at Bristol City Hall to discuss new approaches to reduce drug-related harm in the city.

Adam explored the arguments for opening an overdose prevention centre in Bristol. Overdose prevention centres, also called drug consumption rooms or safer injecting facilities, are safe spaces where people can use their own drugs under the supervision of professionals who can intervene if an overdose occurs. They also provide an opportunity to offer wrap around services to the most marginalised and underserved communities of people who use criminalised drugs.

The event was organised by Transform Drug Policy Foundation, in collaboration with the University of Bristol. Other speakers included Dr Saket Priyadarshi (Clinical Lead for the overdose prevention centre which recently opened in Glasgow); Carly Heath (Night Time Economy Adviser for Bristol); and Steve Rolles (Senior Policy Analyst at Transform). In attendance were a Member of Parliament, local councillors, and representatives from a range of local services. 

There is a large body of evidence highlighting the benefits of overdose prevention centres, which have been opened in numerous other countries, in some case operating for over 30 years.

A range of medical and public health organisations, drugs services, and academics have called for the introduction of overdose prevention centres in the UK, in the context of an escalating drug-related death crisis. Successive Parliamentary Committees and the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs have similarly called for pilot sites. Despite this, the UK Government remains resistant to their introduction.

The speakers at the event argued that Bristol is well situated to lead the way in the UK and introduce a pilot overdose prevention centre, having already been the first city to introduce a regular licensed drug checking service.