Salvation Army sparks Government action to help vulnerable people

Support for The Salvation Army’s campaigning has led to Government action on two pressing issues that impact the lives of vulnerable people. These are avoidable deaths from opioid drugs and the impact of loneliness on people’s wellbeing and life chances.

The UK Government has launched a consultation on widening access to the life-saving overdose antidote, naloxone, including making it available on the high street in the same way as defibrillators. The Salvation Army, which works directly with people affected by addiction has been campaigning for naloxone to be available in public places as every minute counts when someone is overdosing.

Every day, 18 people in the UK die from drugs and another 20,000 could lose their lives from opioids such as heroin by 2030.  Naloxone, which is easy and safe to use, temporarily reverses an opioid overdose, buying vital time for emergency services to arrive. 

The Salvation Army has also been raising awareness of the impact of loneliness and isolation on the wellbeing and life chances of vulnerable people and welcomed the Scottish Government’s pledge to dedicate £3 million to help tackle this. 

In his announcement, the First Minister for Scotland noted that Christmas was a particularly difficult time for some people. This follows research* from The Salvation Army, as reported on the front page of the Daily Record and Mirror, that 1.8 million people in the UK would spend Christmas Day alone though they didn’t want to, including 130,000 people in Scotland.

Lt-Colonel Nick Coke, Secretary for Communications and Territorial Co-ordinator for Justice and Reconciliation, said: “Preventing opioid overdoses and tackling loneliness and isolation might seem like two very different campaigns but they have one thing in common: The Salvation Army and our supporters speaking out for very vulnerable people. 

“We use our experience of working directly with some of the most vulnerable people in society to inform what changes we campaign for. Since the use of naloxone was rolled out across our services, it has saved hundreds of lives and plays a vital role in providing practical and compassionate support for people with an addiction. 

“We also know that many vulnerable people’s health, wellbeing and life chances are affected by being lonely and isolated as this is one of the main reasons people give for seeking our support **.

“Thank you to all those who campaigned alongside us whether that be writing to your local MP, sharing our social media posts and, of course, donating so we can reach more people in need of   Creating social change is a team effort and we are truly thankful for every Salvation Army supporter and volunteer.”

To find out more about The Salvation Army’s campaigns or to lend your support by becoming a social justice campaigner visit: https://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/campaigning-and-policy

*A survey of 4384 UK adults is weighted to be nationally representative and was carried out by YouGov on 8 to 10 December 2025 on behalf of The Salvation Army.

**Salvation Army analysis carried out in 2024 and published in 2025 of practical assistance given at 131 corps and centres found that 61% related to loneliness and isolation.