NEWS ROUND-UP
Government issues COVID-19 guidance
for treatment services and providers
G
uidance for
commissioners and
treatment providers
during the COVID-19
outbreak has been
issued by Public Health England
(PHE) and the Department for
Health and Social Care (DHSC).
While services don’t need to close
they should keep face-to-face
contacts to a minimum, it says.
Given the pressure on the
NHS and other services it will be
necessary to defer drug detoxes,
the guidance states, as well as scale
back testing for hep C. Provision
of harm reduction measures such
as NSP and take-home naloxone,
however, should be increased where
possible, while arrangements for
prescribing and dispensing will
change to take account of social
distancing, pharmacy closures and
staff availability.
Service users should be told not
to turn up without an appointment,
and staff should contact them
before their appointments to check
if they’ve developed symptoms.
Providers should also liaise with local
hospitals to ‘ensure they are aware
the symptoms of COVID-19 may be
confused with withdrawal symptoms
in a dependent drug or alcohol user’,
the guidance adds. ‘It is important
that anyone taken to hospital and
showing symptoms that could be
either alcohol or drug withdrawal
or COVID-19 is managed as if they
have COVID-19, unless and until the
results of testing show otherwise.’
Providers, commissioners and
pharmacies should be as ‘flexible as
possible, within the legal framework,
to support the safe delivery of OST’, it
says, with services transferring ‘most,
if not all’ patients from supervised
consumption to take-home doses,
and providing them with up to
two weeks’ worth of supply where
possible. Pharmacists may also be
allowed to give out methadone,
buprenorphine and other medicines
containing controlled substances
such as opioids or barbiturates
without a prescription during the
COVID-19 pandemic, following
advice from the ACMD.
Providers should also be
monitoring reports of adulterated
or unusually strong drugs or any
unexpected effects, the guidance
document stresses. ‘If usual drug
supply routes are affected, there is a
risk that alternative substances will
be sourced and sold. Cases should be
reported to [email protected].’
COVID-19: guidance for
commissioners and providers of
services for people who use drugs or
alcohol at www.gov.uk
See news focus, page 6
'Drug and alcohol
services do not need
to close... and are
important to keep
operating as they
protect vulnerable
people who are
at greater risk
from coronavirus
(COVID-19) and help
reduce the burden
on other healthcare
services.'
SDF launch online Scots
COVID support Gambling ads suspended
for 'safer' messages
AN ONLINE TOOL to help people
stay up to date with changes to
treatment and pharmacy services has
been launched by the Scottish Drugs
Forum (SDF), We Are With You and
Scottish Families Affected by Alcohol
and Drugs.
Pharmacies and treatment
services can submit weekly updates,
which are shared through the lead
organisations’ websites and social
media channels. The database can
also be accessed as a map to allow
people to see what is available
nearby.
‘It has been a real team effort
to create a map of all Scotland’s
drug and alcohol services’ revised
arrangements during the COVID-19
lockdown,’ said We Are With You
executive director Andrew Horne.
‘People can now see, at the click of
a button, which services are being
delivered across the country.’
www.sdf.org.uk/covid-19/service-
delivery-changes/ BRITISH BETTING FIRMS will
voluntarily remove their TV and
radio advertising during the
lockdown, the Betting and Gaming
Council (BGC) has announced.
Existing advertising slots will
be replaced by ‘safer gambling
messages’, donated to charity or
removed, says the council – the
industry body representing betting
shops, casinos and online gambling
companies. The changes will come
into force no later than 7 May and
stay in place until at least 5 June,
and will only be reviewed when
lockdown restrictions are relaxed.
BGC members account for
around half of all gambling
advertising on TV and radio, and the
council says it hopes other operators
will follow suit. Meanwhile, the
Gambling Commission has issued
advice on how gambling companies
should keep consumers safe during
the COVID-19 outbreak, and the
RSPH has designed a confidential
4 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MAY 2020
‘People can now
see, at the click of
a button, which
services are being
delivered across
the country.’
ANDREW HORNE
survey on behalf of the Gambling
Health Alliance to help understand
what impact the lockdown is having
on those vulnerable to gambling
related harm.
Gambling Commission guidance
at www.gamblingcommission.gov.
uk/home.aspx.
Survey at www.surveymonkey.
co.uk/r/L9HBYBT
The changes will
come into force no
later than 7 May
and stay in place
until at least 5 June,
and will only be
reviewed when
lockdown is relaxed.
WWW.DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS.COM