Services Database Needle Exchange (Rochdale Area)

Aims
The overall Service Objectives and Intended Health Outcomes of pharmacy NSP to PWIDs are:
a) To offer anonymous friendly, non-judgemental, confidential and user centred services.
b) To provide sterile injecting equipment to reduce the rate of sharing and other high risk
injecting behaviours. Adequate coverage is essential to achieve this (see later).
c) In doing so, reduce the dangers associated with drug use including the transmission risks of
HIV, hepatitis B&C, other blood-borne infections.
d) To help the client to be healthy and reduce drug related health harms.
e) Assist the clients to remain healthy until they are ready, willing and able to cease injecting
and/or access specialist services and ultimately achieve a drug free life.
f) To provide information on harm reduction advice and initiatives, including the provision of
naloxone through specialist providers or community pharmacy programmes, and promote
safer injecting practices.
g) To facilitate access to relevant specialist and generalist primary care services.
h) To signpost people who inject drugs (PWID) to drug treatment services (for example, opioid
substitution therapy).
i) To act as a gateway/signpost to other services (e.g. Hepatitis B immunisation, Hepatitis C &
HIV screening).
j) Improve the health of local communities by preventing the spread of blood borne infections
facilitate and encourage the safe disposal of used injecting equipment.
k) Maximise the access and retention of all injectors, especially the highly socially excluded,
through flexible, low- threshold service delivery and targeted interventions, delivered in a
non-judgmental and caring way.