Driving Change: Improving Policy and Practice to Prevent Drug Deaths

Scottish Drugs Forum marks International Overdose Awareness Day 2022 with its first face-to-face live conference since lockdown in Glasgow.

This conference will explore policy and practice innovation and feature discussion around different aspects of drug death prevention including international perspectives, emergency service response and the important role of living experience perspectives.

Click here to register

This conference will be chaired by David Strang – chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce. He is a former chief constable and was also HM Chief Inspector of Prisons in Scotland.

Opening Statement: Orlando Heijmer-Mason – Head of the Scottish Government’s Drugs Policy Division

Speakers

Fiona McQueen- Vice Chair of the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce and former Chief Nursing Officer for Scotland.

Presentation: Recommendations from the Scottish Drug Deaths Taskforce

Alan Miller – Professor of Practice in Human Rights at Strathclyde University, independent expert with the UN’s Crisis Bureau, advisor on the Human Rights Bill and Chair of Scotland’s Drugs Mission National Collaborative

Presentation: The National Collaborative: a human rights-based approach to save and improve lives

Naomi Burke-Shyne – Executive Director of Harm Reduction International. She has 19 years of international experience at the intersection of law, harm reduction, HIV and human rights.

Presentation: Global Perspectives on Harm Reduction

Alex Stevens – Professor in Criminal Justice in the School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research. He is Chair of the Drugs Science Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group.

Presentation: Safer Injecting in the UK: The Enhanced Harm Reduction Working Group

Dr Saket Priyadarshi – Associate Medical Director, Alcohol and Drug Recovery Services at NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde

Presentation: Progress Towards a Safer Drug Consumption Facility in Glasgow

Tracey Clusker – Clinical Lead for the Medication Assisted Treatment Standards in Public Health Scotland

Presentation: The Role of Medication Assisted Treatment in Preventing Drug Deaths

Jason Wallace – Senior Development Officer who leads and manages the Volunteering and Engagement Programme at Scottish Drugs Forum over the last decade Jason has been involved with Peer research team and Naloxone team, working alongside people with living/lived experience

Presentation: The Importance of Living Experience Networks

Wez Steele and KerryAnn Colquhoun – Wez and KerryAnn lead on the delivery of the national peer naloxone work at Scottish Drugs Forum

Presentation: Saving Lives: Peer Naloxone Distribution

Emergency service responses

Presentations from Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and the Scottish Ambulance Service.

Click here to register