Services Database Pharmacy Needle & Syringe Programme (West Berkshire Area)

Aims

• The Community Pharmacy Needle & Syringe Programme Scheme is an integral and complementary part of the WDP West Berkshire Service’s strategy for substance misuse.
• To assist the service user 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:
  2.3.1. By reducing the rate of sharing and other high-risk injecting behaviours;
  2.3.2. By providing sterile injecting equipment and sharps containers for return of used equipment;
  2.3.3. By promoting safer injecting practices; and
  2.3.4. By providing and reinforcing harm reduction messages, including safe sex advice and advice on overdose prevention (e.g. risks of poly-drug and alcohol use).
• To improve the health of local communities by preventing the spread of blood-borne infections by ensuring the safe disposal of used injecting equipment
• To help service users access treatment by offering referral to specialist drug and alcohol treatment centres and health and social care professionals where appropriate.
• To maximise the access and retention of all injectors, especially the highly-socially excluded.
• To help service users access other health and social care support 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.)