FOI reference: FOI-2026-3592
You asked
Would it be possible to get the annual figures for deaths recorded separately for England Wales where buprenorphine, Temgesic, etc was recorded in the cause of death fields (a) any mention (i.e. with other substances) and (b) sole mention, please? Year of registration would be fine.
To clarify - sole mention means without any other drug or alcohol.
We said
Thank you for your request.
We produce an annual publication Deaths related to drug poisoning by selected substances, England and Wales, which contains a pivot table where drug deaths can be broken down by drug including buprenorphine and other opiates where they were mentioned on the death certificate, with other drugs and alcohol or without. This data spans 1993 to 2024.
Information on deaths where buprenorphine or related search terms such as Temgesic are mentioned on the death certificate in England or Wales can be created as a custom output. These services are subject to legal frameworks, disclosure control, resources and agreements of costs, in line with our Charging Policy. Please contact Health.Data@ons.gov.uk to discuss an order for this information.
As this further breakdown of information is reasonably accessible via another route, even if only on payment, the exemption found under s.21 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA) applies.