Prison wardens get lessons on drug overdoses

PRISON wardens are being taught to use lifesaving rescue kits to counter a rise in drug-taking behind bars. Staff at HMP Inverness were asked to try out administering Naloxone – an emergency antidote to opiates – to inmates who had overdosed on heroin.

New figures show 1,031 male prisoners were caught taking controlled substances in 2015-16.

Numbers of inmates caught with drugs have been growing steadily in recent years and have more than doubled since 2012-13 when just 509 were found.

The information about drug-taking and treatment was revealed in the Scottish Prison Service’s newly-published annual report for 201516, which stated: “SPS tested the effectiveness of a Naloxone administration training programme for operational prison staff at HMP Inverness during this reporting year.

“Based on this pilot project, Health and Wellbeing branch are currently reviewing the options available, in collaboration with partner agencies, to develop future training for front line staff to enable first on the scene response to opiate overdose.”

Last night Scottish Tory shadow justice secretary Douglas Ross said: “Jail is meant to be a secure environment where nothing gets in and out, but this obviously isn’t happening when it comes to illegal substances.”

Naloxone is an emergency antidote that temporarily reverses the main life-threatening effect – the slowing and stopping of breathing – of overdoses from substances including heroin. This provides more time for an ambulance or other specialist medical help to arrive at the scene.