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Lincolnshire Co-op pharmacies have partnered with a local service supporting people in the county with drug and alcohol addiction to increase supplies of naloxone and reduce drug-related deaths.

Thirty-six pharmacies will initially supply Prenoxad naloxone to people at risk of an overdose through the free and confidential service Lincolnshire Recovery Partnership (LRP).

Lincolnshire Co-op said there are plans to increase access to naloxone “in other sites in the future” as deaths resulting from drug misuse continue to rise.

According to the Local Government Association, deaths per 100,000 population in Boston have increased since 2020. Last year, the LRP said it had seen a big increase in the use of nitazenes, powerful synthetic opioids mixed into street drugs including heroin.

At least 400 drug-related deaths in the UK were linked to nitazenes between June 2023 and January 2025 and efforts to expand the availability of naloxone are ongoing. The LRP has trained a quarter of Lincolnshire Police officers on how to administer it.

“By introducing this service, we are making a potentially life-saving intervention more accessible to people at risk of opiate related overdoses, as well as their families, friends and carers,” said Lincolnshire Co-op’s healthcare development manager Josh Pinder.

He added: “Pharmacies are uniquely positioned to provide timely support, advice and access to naloxone, helping to reduce preventable deaths and strengthen our commitment to improving health and wellbeing in our local communities.”

LRP senior operations manager Adam Sutcliffe said: “Pharmacies are vital in the running of our service. Many of the people we support have frequent contact with pharmacy staff, so it made sense for pharmacy teams to be trained and able to supply naloxone kits.

“The people we support report positive relationships with pharmacy staff; they trust their advice and expertise, feel cared for, and find them easy to access.

“Pharmacy staff also see people who are not currently in treatment, and attending a pharmacy can feel less stigmatising for some people.”