A COMMUNITY‑POWERED SAFETY NET FOR OVERDOSE PREVENTION

TL;DR

Care & Respond is a first‑of‑its‑kind digital safety net for drug harms. Built in partnership by Scienap and 3 Sided Cube, it turns street‑level intel into instant, actionable alerts. One platform delivers hyper‑local bad‑batch warnings, check‑ins that trigger alarms, live‑location sharing to trusted parties, a naloxone finder, and a pro dashboard for real‑time coordination. Funded by the UK Office for Life Sciences and Scotland’s Chief Scientist’s Office, commissioned by the NHS, and is now moving towards national and international rollout. This ecosystem not only responds to but also reduces overdose events.

Impact: One secure loop that puts data to work for communities and saves lives before crisis hits.

Tech Stack: FlutterFlow front‑end · Golang API · Firebase + PostgreSQL · AWS Cognito auth · Google Maps & GeoFire · ElasticSearch (trend detection) · Terraform IaC

Services: Product Strategy · UX/UI Design · Mobile & Web Development · Data Privacy, Security & Compliance · AI‑light Trend Surfacing · QA & Release · Continuous Improvement, Scaleability

PROBLEM

Drug‑related deaths are rising, but support is scattered and siloed. Care & Respond had to weave six critical functions into one trusted loop:

1. Hyper‑local drug‑batch warnings - push alerts to the exact users at risk and their support network.

2. Timed check‑ins - helping the socially isolated to remain connected.

3. SOS alarms - automatically trigger help when needed.

4. Live location + naloxone finder - get the person and the antidote together faster with trusted responders.

5. Community intel loop - anonymously share what’s happening on the ground, empowering community action.

6. Pro dashboard - give services direct access to users of drugs and their support network.

In the eyes of the user: People at risk, and the services that stand with them, need more than an SOS button. They look for early warnings about dodgy batches, a quick way to check in with friends, information about naloxone, and a shared view that lets professionals act proactively, all without feeling tracked or judged.

Approach

Discovery & Design: Led by Scienap and backed by NHS innovation funding, the project was co-designed with a wide network of partners, including Ambulance Services, Drug Support Organisations, and a leading academic. Cube embedded with Scienap’s team to strengthen the build and plan for scale, refining features with insight from frontline partners across the UK.

Build & Iterate: We supported Scienap with hands-on development across front- and back-end, using FlutterFlow and Golang. Working on a flexible burn-down model, we collaborated with their team, helping refine features, squash bugs, and bring the platform to life. User feedback shaped every decision. This wasn’t design theory, it was lived reality.

NHS‑grade trust. End‑to‑end encryption, ISO‑aligned workflows, and 99.9 % uptime give NHS and other professional services the green light.

Solution

• Community App (public): available stand-alone and through partner organisations. Raise alarms, receive drug warnings, run safety check‑ins, locate/record naloxone, share intel.

• Connected Services Hub (professional): manage cohorts, broadcast warnings, view live alarms, coordinate responders, and manage drug safety intelligence data.

• Future‑proof hooks: API ready for wearable overdose detectors and multilingual rollout.

Challenges we tackled:

• Safety and privacy by design

• Building trust and simplicity into every screen

• Designing for speed and clarity under stress

Impact

• Recognised at the ISAM Global Addiction Therapeutics Conference in Hamburg 2025 for innovation.

The rollout is still underway and the data’s still coming in, but one thing’s already clear: when tech is shaped by lived experience and built for the frontline, it doesn’t just support systems, it saves lives.

Want to build digital tools that meet people where they are — and help them feel safer, stronger, and seen? Let’s talk.