A community safety officer saved a man from overdosing thanks to new lifesaving training given to Newcastle City Council staff.
Nicola Oliver, a part of the Empowering People in Communities (EPiC) West team, responded to reports of a medical emergency halfway up the Cruddas Park House tower block, where a man was unconscious.
“We had the training back in March and obviously you hope never to have to use it,” Nicola said.
“On the day I was just running on adrenaline – It all happened so fast and was quite overwhelming, but thanks to the training I knew exactly what to do.
“We have the EPiC hub at Cruddas Park and one of facilities officers called saying a cleaner had found someone unresponsive on the 10th floor of the north stairs.
“It sounded like a possible overdose, so I grabbed the naloxone kit and we went up to where the man – who wasn’t a resident of the building - was bedded down, with needles all around and a crack pipe next to him.
“I was on the phone to the 999 call handler and they were talking me through checking his breathing and I gave him the naloxone, then started CPR.
“He came round just before the paramedics arrived and they took over.
“At the time I didn’t think anything of it, but looking back I realise what I did, and what that means, and I’m really proud.”
Cllr Peter Lovatt, Cabinet member for neighbourhoods and local services, said: “The swift actions of our teams, including Nicola’s great use of her recent naloxone training, undoubtedly save this man’s life.
“There can be no greater testament to the incredible impact of the work Nicola does than to know that someone is still with us that would not otherwise be but for her intervention.
“Bravo Nicola.”
Training benefits staff and community
Across the country there are concerns about an increase in drug related deaths. and around changes in the substances people are taking – including a rise in synthetic opioids.
Nationally almost half of all drug-poisoning deaths involve opiates such as heroin, and the North East sees the highest rate of in England and Wales.
Naloxone is a drug that temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose and can be administered using a nasal spray.
It has been available in Newcastle since 2016, free of charge, for people who use drugs, their family members and services that support them.
A recent expansion has also seen Northumbria Police officers carry it on a voluntary basis.
And now Newcastle City Council has become one of the few authorities nationally – and the first in the North East - that has made naloxone available in key buildings, with 50 staff trained in its use.
That includes members of the EPiC team who, while out in the community, may be more likely to be on the scene of an overdose before paramedics arrive.
Cllr Wendy Taylor, Cabinet member for integrated health and adult social care, said: “Expanding access to naloxone, as we can clearly see from this incident, can only be a benefit for our communities.
“Training our frontline staff is a positive and proactive step in ensuring they can better respond to such distressing situations and will help to save lives.”