Comparison of Office for National Statistics (ONS) and National Programme on Substance Use Mortality (NPSUM) data suggests that opioid-related deaths in England & Wales have been systematically underestimated

Increasing polydrug use in England and Wales is likely leading to the use of ambiguous drug-related causes of death instead of every drug being individually named, resulting in an underestimation of opioid-related deaths. This discrepancy has significant implications for funding, policy and public health initiatives aimed at addressing the UK's escalating opioid-related death crisis.