Services Database Needle Exchange Programme (Buckinghamshire)

Aims and Objectives

· To assist the service users to remain healthy until they are ready and willing to cease injecting and ultimately achieve a drug-free life with appropriate support to protect health and reduce the rate of blood-borne infections and drug related deaths among service users:

• by reducing the rate of sharing and other high-risk injecting behaviours
• by providing sterile injecting equipment and other support
• by promoting safer injecting practices
• by providing and reinforcing harm reduction messages.

· To improve the health of local communities by preventing the spread of blood-borne infections by providing a safe and effective route for the disposal of used injecting equipment.

· To help service users access treatment by offering referral to ORB adult substance Use services and health and social care professionals where appropriate.

· To aim to maximise the access and retention of all injectors, especially the highly socially excluded.

· To help service users access other health and social care and to act as a gateway to other services.

· To reduce the number of drug related deaths associated with opioid overdose.

· To help service users access other health and social care and to act as a gateway to other services (e.g. key working, prescribing, hepatitis B immunisation, hepatitis and HIV screening, primary care services etc)

· Provide service users with regular contact with health care professionals and to help them access further advice or assistance. The service user will be referred to specialist treatment centres or other health and social care professionals where appropriate.