Additional collaborative projects

  • The Improving Hospital Opioid Substitution Therapy (The iHOST study), led by Professor Magdalena Harris in LSHTM, aims to improve the provision of opioid substitution therapy (methadone and buprenorphine) for people experiencing opioid dependence who present to acute hospitals, to improve the care they receive, and prevent patient-directed discharges. This project builds on a review of existing hospital policies co-led by Adam Holland. The intervention, being evaluated in three hospitals (protocol), comprises staff training, a champion role, revised hospital policies, an advocacy card, and a patient helpline. This research is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research [NIHR133022].  
  • We are working with academics at Liverpool John Moores University on further work about stigma, exploring the relationship between media reporting about drugs and levels of stigma; and with academics from the University of New South Wales on the sources of stigma in healthcare settings.  
  • We collaborate with the Faculty of Public Health and Kings College London National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM) on projects raising awareness of harms associated with emerging substances, and novel harm reduction interventions. This includes work tracking the proliferation of nitazenes (discussed in a recent webinar and podcast) and xylazine; discussing evidence on ‘safer supply’ approaches in Canada; and evaluating the recent UK drugs strategy. 
  • We have contributed to qualitative work with coca farmers in Colombia, exploring the harms associated with chemicals used in coca cultivation and processing. This work explored how these harms are compounded by punitive policies, drawing on  new materialism theory. This work formed part of the Drugs and (dis)order project led by the School of Oriental and African Studies.  
  • We co-authored a large systematic review assessing the concordance of biological drug tests and self-report, to inform future testing practices in settings including drugs services, research studies, and criminal justice institutions.