‘Naloxone saves lives,’ says homelessness charity St Mungo’s - and ministers now want it within reach on Northern high streets. On 29 December 2025 the UK government opened a 10‑week consultation to widen access to the opioid overdose antidote, citing Aberdeen’s emergency‑box pilot run by Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian.

Under the plans, supply would be expanded to homeless hostels, day centres and outreach teams. Emergency staff at organisations such as Border Force, the National Crime Agency and laboratory testing facilities who might encounter synthetic opioids like nitazenes would be able to carry the medication. And in high‑risk spots - from town‑centre night‑time areas to transport hubs - publicly accessible emergency boxes, modelled on defibrillator cabinets, could be installed.

Naloxone is a prescription‑only medicine that temporarily reverses an opioid overdose, buying time for ambulances to arrive. It has no effect if opioids aren’t present and can’t be misused. Government figures say drug deaths have doubled since 2012, with a record 5,565 lives lost in England and Wales last year. Deaths linked to nitazenes rose from 52 in 2023 to 195 in 2024, and opioid‑related fatalities remain the biggest share - around 40 a week across the UK.

Ministers frame the move as part of a wider £3.4bn push over the next three years to 2029 for treatment and education. They say most local authorities will see cash‑terms increases, with targeted support for high‑need areas and councils supporting people sleeping rough. For town halls from Newcastle to Blackpool, the detail on staffing, training and ongoing kit costs will matter as much as the headline.

‘Every drug death is a preventable tragedy,’ said Health Minister Karin Smyth, arguing the rules should change so workers - and members of the public in an emergency - can ‘save a life’. The consultation proposes amending the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 to make that possible from 2026, subject to responses and Parliamentary approval.

St Mungo’s, which runs services across England, welcomed the plan: ‘Naloxone saves lives,’ the charity said, adding that its outreach teams ‘never go out without it’ and staff are trained to respond to overdoses. Wider access, they argue, gives people a second chance to recover and leave homelessness behind.

The consultation is being run jointly with the Department of Health in Northern Ireland and has the support of all four UK nations after agreement at the UK Drugs Ministerial Group. That four‑nation approach will be noted in border areas and by services in the North that work closely with Scottish partners.

Aberdeen’s pilot, launched in 2024 by Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian, is being watched by councils exploring high‑risk town‑centre locations. Ministers say emergency boxes offer a straightforward way for bystanders to help while ambulances are on their way.

Legislation in December 2024 already widened who can supply take‑home naloxone - adding police officers, paramedics and probation workers - and set up a registration route for other organisations. Despite that, barriers remain, from low awareness and stigma to operational snags in England’s registration service. Today’s proposals aim to clear those hurdles and reach more people at the point of risk.

The wider strategy includes prevention. In October 2025 a government campaign warned 16‑ to 24‑year‑olds about the dangers of ketamine, counterfeit medicines, synthetic opioids and THC vapes, with new resources for schools, universities and local public health teams. It sits alongside efforts to shift services towards earlier support rather than crisis response.

For Northern homelessness services, the practical questions are immediate: who trains staff, who checks and replaces kits, and how public boxes are maintained and signposted. Ministers point to cash‑terms increases for most councils and extra support for areas with high levels of rough sleeping, but providers will want clarity on how those pledges flow to frontline teams.

The consultation runs for 10 weeks from 29 December 2025, with the government aiming to lay regulations in 2026 in Westminster and at the Northern Ireland Assembly. For advice and support on drug issues, readers can visit Talk to Frank. Local leaders across the North now have a window to shape how naloxone is stocked and used on our streets.