A female nurse in scrubs sits at a desk with a laptop, smiling at an elderly patient whose back is to the camera, in a clinic office decorated with informational posters.

Needle and syringe services

Needle exchange and other services to help keep you safe

For anyone who injects drugs. You don't need an appointment. You can just walk in and get what you need.

Pick up free needles and barrels
Return used equipment
Free naloxone
Confidential support and advice

Our needle and syringe services are free and confidential

If you inject any substance, we want to support you to stay as safe as possible.

Our services are welcoming and accessible - a place where you won’t be judged. We respect your privacy and any decisions you make about your substance use.

What to expect when you visit

Alongside providing you with new equipment, our staff can talk you through the different equipment options available to you and give you a demonstration on safer injecting techniques. They're also happy to answer any questions you may have and discuss ways to help you stay safe.

You can get new equipment free, whatever you’re injecting, including steroids.

Let staff know what you’re using and they’ll make sure you get the right equipment.

You can get:

needles (pins)
syringes (barrels)
spoons (cookers)
citric or vitamin C
filters
foil
bins

You should be able to take away as much stuff as you need.

When you visit our needle and syringe service you’ll be able to talk to a trained member of staff in a private room.

They’ll ask you for some basic information, such as your name and date of birth, and ask you what you need.

If you don’t want to give your full name you can give your initials instead.

They’ll also ask if you have any used equipment to return.

Needle exchange staff encourage everyone to return used equipment so they can dispose of it safely.

You can still pick up new stuff if you haven’t got any used equipment to bring back.

We won’t tell anyone else that you've been to the needle and syringe service. Anything you tell us is confidential.

The only time we’ll share your information with someone else is if we’re seriously worried about your safety or someone else’s.

Advice about safer injecting – the staff in needle and syringe services are experts in safer injecting. You can ask them about caring for wounds, avoiding infections and anything else to do with injecting.

Scripts – if you’re using an opiate drug like heroin you can talk to staff about getting a script for methadone or buprenorphine so that you can detox or maintain.

Blood tests – you can get tested for viruses that are spread through blood like HIV, hep B and hep C.

Vaccinations – you can get vaccinated against hep B.

Naloxone – needle and syringe service staff can advise you on preventing overdose. They can give you a free naloxone injection (Prenoxad) or nasal spray (Nyxoid) and train you how to use them. Naloxone reverses the effects of opioid drugs like heroin, morphine and methadone.

Access to other services – staff can help you find other support, including drug or alcohol treatment and advice on sexual health, housing and legal matters.