The government has announced proposals to widen access to naloxone, launching a UK-wide consultation on 29th December 2025 that will run until 9th March 2026. This initiative seeks to increase the availability of both take-home naloxone and naloxone for emergency use.
The government is consulting on amending regulations to allow the Department of Health and Social Care to:
- expand supply of naloxone to hostels, day centres and outreach services for people experiencing rough sleeping or homelessness
- allow supplies to be delivered to emergency staff at organisations including the Border Force, National Crime Agency and laboratory testing facilities who may encounter dangerous synthetic opioids such as nitazenes as part of their work
- introduce a new way to access naloxone by installing publicly accessible emergency boxes, similar to those containing defibrillator cabinets, in high-risk locations such as high streets and near nightlife venues
During this consultation period, we encourage homelessness services to review the consultation document and provide feedback.
Click below to access the document and submit your responses. If you have any questions about the consultation, please email: addictionspolicy@dhsc.gov.uk
Homeless Link will also be coordinating a response on behalf of members and so we would love to hear your thoughts on the proposed changes. If you would like to share your thoughts please contact the policy team at cat.tottie@homelesslink.org.uk. We will share our response in the Knowledge Hub once it has been submitted.