⫸STICKY⫷ BuddyUp app (UK and Ireland) - New digital service for people who use drugs

[PaigeSmithCranstoun]

Hello,

My name's Paige Smith and I am the Innovation Programme Lead with Cranstoun. Cranstoun is a UK based forward-thinking and ambitious social justice charity and we mean business when we talk about harm reduction. We are committed to reducing the harms linked to substance use in every way we can imagine. From our naloxone supply to our BuddyUp app, Diamorphine Assisted Treatment, DIVERT and injecting equipment provision, we are in the business of improving lives.

I am looking to reach people that might be interested in trying a new digital service we are offering for people who use drugs in the UK and Republic of Ireland. The service is free to use, and the app can be downloaded from your usual app store, titled “BuddyUp with Cranstoun”. The service is available to anyone in the UK or Republic of Ireland over the age of 18. You need not contact us before you use the service, unless you have any questions.

In addition to our current services, Cranstoun are committed to delivering world class innovations to reverse the drug death crisis. BuddyUp is a new, app-based service available on Google Play and the App Store and the concept is that people who are using drugs alone can download the app and be connected to a Cranstoun team member (called a supporter), with whom they can build a rescue plan, detailing where emergency services help can be sent to them in the event they become unresponsive after using a drug and while calling the service. The plan is only activated if our BuddyUp supporters suspect that the app user has overdosed.

BuddyUp is a low threshold, harm reduction service, aiming to ensure that an episode of drug use does not result in fatal overdose. During the pilot it is running with selective hours with the ambition of having an expanded service in the near future. It will help us to reach all parts of the UK, allowing people who are in rural locations to access the same support as someone living in a city. A similar app is already operational in North America, through the Brave Co-operative.

How this works in practice is that BuddyUp ensures that if someone uses a drug alone, a trained Cranstoun team member can remain in contact with them during and after they use drug(s) and enact their overdose rescue plan if the caller becomes unresponsive. If a caller becomes unresponsive, their rescue plan, (location (address), rescue instructions such as where to find the key, security codes, which door to use, and any additional information the caller would like to include) is revealed to the supporter. The supporter would then call the emergency services and provide the details of the rescue plan so that help can be sent to the address provided.

Should you have any questions on how the service works or want to talk through anything in more detail please do get in contact with us on [email protected] or via the Bluelight private messaging system.

If you do use the app and wish to provide us with any feedback, please also use the contact details above to do so.

You can also find further information on the service at: https://cranstoun.org/help-and-advice/harm-reduction/buddyup/

Admin note: Cranstoun are also supporting Bluelight by purchasing site-wide advertisement of BuddyUp.

Hope to speak to you soon,

Paige Smith

Innovation Programme Lead
Cranstoun

Admin note: Cranstoun have been in communications with admin. We will be providing site-wide support for the project. We are aware it isn't the standard research project that we typically promote at Drug Studies; nevertheless, we think the project is strongly aligned with our mission at Bluelight, and ideally hope that people in all jurisdictions will one day have access to this level of support.

 

[Tronica]

Thanks a lot @PaigeSmithCranstoun

Would you please be able to add some more details about the project's funding? Where does the funding come from? Do people have to pay for the service at any stage?

Also I'd be keen to know - how many people have used the app? How many drug use events does the app get used for per annum? How many 'supporters' do you have? What's the pathway to become a supporter? (I know a lot of Bluelighters informally support people who use drugs in their networks and may be well placed to contribute in this way, too)

 

[PaigeSmithCranstoun]

Thanks a lot @PaigeSmithCranstoun

Would you please be able to add some more details about the project's funding? Where does the funding come from? Do people have to pay for the service at any stage?

Also I'd be keen to know - how many people have used the app? How many drug use events does the app get used for per annum? How many 'supporters' do you have? What's the pathway to become a supporter? (I know a lot of Bluelighters informally support people who use drugs in their networks and may be well placed to contribute in this way, too)

Hi @Tronica

Thanks for your message - of course, I'd be happy to provide some further detail.

BuddyUp is currently funded internally through Cranstoun. We had a small amount of funds provided to us at the beginning of the project by local authorities to support with pilot implementation costs, but since then we have been funding ourselves. We are looking at external funding opportunities at present to allow us to continue and expand the service. At no point does the person using the app have to pay for the BuddyUp service.

We have seen limited usage in our pilot so far (the service became available nationally in July 2023), and put that down to a few primary reasons based on feedback we have received.*

To date we have had 520+ downloads of the app, with 6 calls reaching supporters. The calls reaching supporters so far have been one of a few scenarios;

1. A call from someone who used drugs just before calling through to BuddyUp. The person had just used crack cocaine and was calling should they need help, as they were using alone. The person did not requirement emergency support, and the call was ended when both they and the supporter felt comfortable to do so.

2. We’ve had a call from a person asking for harm reduction advice, but not intending to use the drug there and then so didn’t wish to stay on the line should an emergency response be needed. This is a really positive example of how beyond it's primary aim, BuddyUp is also able to provide harm reduction advice that is often otherwise difficult to obtain, particularly for people not engaged with services.

3. We’ve also had calls from people who use drugs who would like to understand more about how BuddyUp works, or from professionals who would like to share this with the people who use their services.


We currently have 10 trained supporters.

To become a supporter, people can apply using the form contained within this link - https://cranstoun.org/volunteer-roles/buddyup-volunteer-supporter-2/

Alternatively, people can get in touch with me by email at [email protected] and I can support this process.


*We know that the main physical barrier to using BuddyUp as it is at the moment is the requirement of a smartphone, with it being an app-based service. We would appreciate feedback as to whether a phoneline version of the app may be of interest to people?

We also know that particularly in a UK setting where we don't currently have Overdose Prevention Centres/Drug Consumption Rooms that the notion of using drugs 'with' someone (in the virtual sense in the case of BuddyUp) is quite a new thing for people, so we did expect it might take some time for a service concept such as this to be trusted and used on a wider scale.

Additionally, some of the questions we've received also indicate a nervousness around what data we collect, and what we do with that data. Therefore, it's really important to us that we are clear in our messaging that people can anonymously and privately connect to a BuddyUp supporter through the app. We do not require full names (supporters will ask for something they can refer to callers as during the call, but this can be just a first name or a nickname etc), nor do we collect phone numbers. As the call is made through the app, all calls come through as anonymous. We receive location and rescue information (the information contained within the rescue plan) to support an emergency rescue only in the event the person requires it, so if the person doesn’t become unresponsive or require emergency support during the period of the call. The way this works is that the rescue plan is created by the caller, and is kept in a secure packet of information on the callers device. This works by the BuddyUp supporter pressing a button their end to say they think the caller needs help and would like the rescue plan to be released to them so they can contact emergency services, which in turn starts a countdown timer on the callers phone. The caller has the ability to stop the information being shared by clicking a button to say that they are okay, or by verbally responding to their supporter before the timer cancels out. The timer cancelling out is what triggers the rescue plan (and therefore location information) to be released to the supporter. When the rescue plan is released, the information is stored for a limited time (24 hours), as an emergency fail-safe measure only. The information is then wiped from the server to maintain the callers anonymity.

We believe it is a combination of the above, alongside the importance of making sure word gets out there about this service, that has resulted in limited usage to date. Therefore, our focus is on finding solutions to address these barriers, and to use various different networks (such as yourselves) to spread the word that this service is available to people. Particularly given the numbers of drug related deaths in the UK, and the number of those that we know are dying along and behind closed doors, we believe BuddyUp is an important puzzle piece in what needs to be a much wider offering for people who use drugs in the UK.


We are always looking for feedback on the service itself if you use it, but also information as to why you would or wouldn't use a service like this is also hugely beneficial to us to understand how we might address that.

I hope that is useful, and I'd be happy to answer any further questions if you, or anyone else, has any.


Best wishes

Paige

 

[neversickanymore]

DS>EADD

 

[Tronica]

@PaigeSmithCranstoun Thanks for the detail here. It's really helpful.

Hopefully some of the EADD community can comment directly on the issues you have described

 

[neversickanymore]

I have to say after looking at the published goals they look really promising to me. After living through and also looking at and studying substance use/abuse/addiction, there is no simple or a one tiered solution.. it just doesn't exist. It's complex and I really think Paige is right on here with the approach that looks to address it on all its levels.

 

[Zopiclone bandit]

In addition to our current services, Cranstoun are committed to delivering world class innovations to reverse the drug death crisis. BuddyUp is a new, app-based service available on Google Play and the App Store and the concept is that people who are using drugs alone can download the app and be connected to a Cranstoun team member (called a supporter), with whom they can build a rescue plan

And it was Cranstoun who kicked my best mate off his Meth script, he had been on the afghan #3 for 12 years & went over to Legal meth to try & get clean, the moment he missed a single doctors slot you lot removed his meth script & let him go sick.

Now his bang at it again with a bigger gear habit than before & is smoking 5-7 bags per day just to stop being sick, Id suggest BEFORE you go making apps you get your house in order in regard to making people go back to heroin!!!!!!!

 

[Tronica]

And it was Cranstoun who kicked my best mate off his Meth script, he had been on the afghan #3 for 12 years & went over to Legal meth to try & get clean, the moment he missed a single doctors slot you lot removed his meth script & let him go sick.

Now his bang at it again with a bigger gear habit than before & is smoking 5-7 bags per day just to stop being sick, Id suggest BEFORE you go making apps you get your house in order in regard to making people go back to heroin!!!!!!!

That's a really awful situation for your friend. I'm sorry to hear it. It's really important for people who want it to have access to opioid substitution therapy, but yet I'm aware it's not universally available around the world.

 

[mauve]

@PaigeSmithCranstoun thank you for the detailed information about the app. Is the digital aspect similar to the helpline Scotland trialed a couple years ago called never use alone...

Thanks

 

[PaigeSmithCranstoun]

@PaigeSmithCranstoun thank you for the detailed information about the app. Is the digital aspect similar to the helpline Scotland trialed a couple years ago called never use alone...

Thanks

@mauve thank you for getting in touch. Yes - the concept is similar however the key difference is that with BuddyUp all of the information is contained within the app itself. So in practice what that means is instead of the caller having to verbally provide their location information (address, access instructions etc) to the supporter at the start of the call, as is the case with a phone line, with BuddyUp the caller can enter this information into the app in advance of calling. This information is then kept securely on the callers device and is only released to the BuddyUp supporter if they become unresponsive and the supporter determines they require emergency help. This means that we only receive that information if it is truly necessary. So, should the caller and supporter be happy to end the call with no emergency response required, BuddyUp would not receive information in regards to the callers location/address.

I hope that's helpful.