On 29 December 2025, the Department of Health and Social Care opened a 10‑week UK‑wide consultation on expanding access to naloxone, the emergency medicine that reverses opioid overdoses. The proposals would amend the Human Medicines Regulations 2012 and, subject to consultation responses and legislative approval in Westminster and the Northern Ireland Assembly, are intended to take effect in 2026.
Under the plans, government is seeking views on enabling supply through homelessness services such as hostels, day centres and outreach teams; formalising access for staff in organisations that may encounter potent synthetic opioids in the course of their work, including Border Force, the National Crime Agency and relevant laboratory settings; and installing publicly accessible emergency cabinets-modelled on defibrillator boxes-in high‑risk locations such as busy high streets and areas with night‑time economy footfall. The approach draws on learning from the Aberdeen emergency box pilot delivered by Aberdeen City Council and NHS Grampian since 2024.
Naloxone remains a prescription‑only medicine. Regulations made in December 2024 expanded the list of services and professionals permitted to supply take‑home naloxone without a prescription, including police officers, paramedics and probation workers, alongside a registration route for other organisations. DHSC notes that barriers persist, including variable public awareness, stigma and operational challenges in establishing the new registration service in England, which the current consultation aims to address.
Ministers describe the proposals as part of a wider harm‑reduction programme supported by a stated £3.4 billion over the next three years to 2029 for treatment and education. According to government figures, drug‑related deaths have doubled since 2012, with 5,565 deaths recorded in England and Wales last year and a marked rise in fatalities involving nitazenes from 52 in 2023 to 195 in 2024. Opioid‑related deaths account for the largest share of drug fatalities across the UK, averaging around 40 a week.
The Department of Health (Northern Ireland) is a joint lead on the consultation, with support from the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government following agreement at the UK Drugs Ministerial Group that expanding naloxone access is a priority. DHSC also indicates that most local authorities will see funding uplifts, with targeted support for areas of highest need and councils working with people sleeping rough.
If adopted, the changes would allow homelessness services to hold and supply naloxone and would formalise access for staff whose roles carry occupational exposure risks to synthetic opioids. Public emergency cabinets would create an additional route to timely administration, complementing existing clinical and service‑based provision. Providers should expect requirements around training, clinical governance, record‑keeping and local protocols for replenishment and safe storage to be set out through subsequent guidance.
DHSC reiterates that naloxone temporarily reverses the respiratory depression associated with opioid overdose, buying time for emergency medical assistance. It has no pharmacological effect when opioids are absent and cannot be misused, a point intended to reduce stigma and support carriage by frontline workers and members of the public likely to witness an overdose.
Announcing the consultation, Minister of State for Health Karin Smyth said the priority is to reduce preventable deaths and remove barriers to timely access, describing naloxone as a safe and effective intervention that “can reverse an opioid overdose and give someone the chance to access treatment.” Homelessness charity St Mungo’s welcomed the proposals, noting that wider availability would support trained outreach teams already responding to overdoses across their services.
The proposals sit alongside prevention activity targeted at young people. In October 2025, government launched a campaign warning of the risks posed by ketamine, counterfeit medicines, synthetic opioids and THC vapes, with resources for schools, universities and local public health teams. DHSC presents the naloxone consultation as complementary, focused on improving emergency response capacity while prevention efforts continue.
Responses will inform draft amendments to the Human Medicines Regulations 2012. Subject to outcomes and scrutiny under powers in the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021, regulations would be laid in 2026. DHSC reports that earlier changes received strong public support and contributed to the government’s stated ambition to prevent nearly 1,000 drug‑related deaths in England by the end of 2025.