Not On My Watch
LifeSavr is a chest-worn wearable system in development by NOMW Health, designed to identify signs associated with opioid overdose and alert designated responders so action can be taken sooner.
Our initial focus is supported accommodation settings, where people may use substances alone while staff are elsewhere in the building.
Developed with expertise from health, academic and innovation organisations
Deaths involving opioids
England & Wales · ONS
Drug-misuse deaths
Scotland · NRS
Sources: ONS · National Records of Scotland
The Problem
Many overdose deaths are preventable when deterioration is recognised in time.
Naloxone can reverse opioid overdose, but only if someone recognises the danger and is able to respond quickly.
In supported accommodation settings, residents may be in private rooms while staff are elsewhere in the building. An overdose can go unnoticed until it is too late to respond effectively.
The Solution
LifeSavr is a chest-worn wearable system designed to monitor physiological signals associated with opioid overdose.
When the system detects a pattern consistent with overdose risk, it is designed to trigger an alert so a designated responder can check on the person and take action.
LifeSavr is intended to support existing overdose response pathways. It is not a replacement for naloxone, clinical judgement, or emergency escalation. Its role is to help recognition happen sooner.
Continuous sensing while worn
Detection of patterns associated with overdose risk
Alert to designated responders
The aim: support earlier recognition of suspected overdose so designated staff can respond more quickly.
Intended Setting
LifeSavr is being developed first for supported accommodation and hostel environments. These services support residents who may be at increased risk of overdose.
Overdoses often occur when someone is alone and recognition can be delayed. In supported accommodation, residents may spend time in private rooms while staff or support workers are elsewhere in the building.
This creates an environment where earlier recognition could enable someone nearby to check on a resident and respond.
Overdose risk increases when someone is alone
When a person is in a private room, recognition of a medical emergency may be delayed.
Staff or support workers are present within the service
Supported accommodation services often have staff on site or visiting support, enabling someone nearby to check on a resident if assistance is needed.
Development Stage
LifeSavr prototype development has been completed. Work to date has included device engineering, structured engagement with people who use drugs and frontline service staff, and iterative refinement of both the device and the intended operating model.
We are now working with a small number of partner organisations on service co-design and readiness assessment: examining overdose risk and response readiness, service workflows, and how the LifeSavr service model would fit within staffed accommodation environments.
Enquire about the Co-Design ProgrammeCurrent status
Background
LifeSavr is being developed in collaboration with some of the UK's leading clinical, academic, and public health organisations.
Our founding team combines clinical expertise in opioid pharmacology and operating theatre practice, senior programme leadership within global pharmaceutical companies, and board-level experience in harm reduction. Academic partners have been selected from universities actively leading research in this field.
We are deliberate about who we work with. Everyone involved brings direct, credible experience of the clinical, technical, and systemic challenges we are here to address.
Organisations Involved in Development
Co-Design Programme
We work with a small number of local authority commissioning teams each year through our structured co-design programme: a two-week, on-site assessment of overdose risk and response readiness across commissioned supported accommodation, combined with co-design of the LifeSavr service model, including alert routing, escalation pathways and provider readiness.
Each programme delivers a Site Operational Report for every scheme visited and a Commissioner Briefing written for internal circulation to strategic leads and directors of public health.
The programme does not involve deployment of the device with residents. LifeSavr remains in development and would require regulatory, ethical and clinical approvals before any future deployment.
Enquire about the Co-Design ProgrammeTo enquire about the programme, use the link above. We respond to commissioning enquiries within two working days.
Why join now
Commissioning teams that join the co-design programme influence the product before its design is finalised, shape how it fits their local services and pathways, and position their authority as an innovation partner in reducing drug-related deaths, rather than receiving a finished product built around someone else's services years later.
Address
NOMW Health Limited · Bayes Centre, University of Edinburgh · 47 Potterrow · Edinburgh EH8 9BT