Review analgesia regulatory regime for paramedics
Manchester Arena Inquiry · Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · Issued 3 November 2022 · Addressed to: Department of Health and Social Care
Government responseUK Government: Accepted (Nov 2025)
DeliveryCabinet Office says in progress (Feb 2026)Department of Health and Social Care says in progress (Aug 2025)
Recommendation, verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation
The Department of Health and Social Care and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should consider urgently whether the regulatory regime should be altered to enable analgesia, such as fentanyl lozenges or sufentanil sublingual tablets, to be given by paramedics to injured persons.
Manchester Arena Inquiry, Manchester Arena Inquiry: Volume 2: Emergency Response · 3 Nov 2022 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
AI-generated evidence summary
In February 2026, the Cabinet Office reported that the Department of Health and Social Care was "drafting the consultation document for proposed legislative changes on analgesia" (Cabinet Office, Feb 2026). The UK government recorded the recommendation as accepted in full in November 2025 (Cabinet Office response, Nov 2025). In August 2025, the department had proposed adding oral transmucosal, intranasal, and intravenous fentanyl to take forward the inquiry's recommendations (Department of Health and Social Care, Aug 2025).
Sources
AI-generated summary of the record on this page, checked by a second model and automatic checks, 26 Sep 2026.
Government response
●UK Government · Accepted · 14 Nov 2025
Accepted in full
Response document: Manchester Arena Inquiry recommendations (GOV.UK page linking to the Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard)
Delivery
●Cabinet Office says in progress · 27 Feb 2026
DHSC are drafting the consultation document for proposed legislative changes on analgesia.
●Department of Health and Social Care says in progress · 5 Aug 2025
We are proposing the additional inclusion of fentanyl (oral transmucosal, intranasal, intravenous) to take forward the recommendations of the Manchester Arena Inquiry report (volume 2) and the NHS England Task and Finish Group in August 2024.
Earlier statements on delivery (0)
●Cabinet Office · 14 Nov 2025
DHSC are drafting the consultation document for proposed legislative changes on analgesia.
From: Manchester Arena Inquiry Recommendations Dashboard, original version (data file)
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