Needle and Syringe exchanges

Needle and syringe exchanges are services for injecting drug users. They may be fixed or mobile and provide drug users with clean, new, hypodermic syringes and other equipment as well as disposal of used equipment.  The aim of needle exchanges is to reduce the risks associated with injecting and sharing injecting equipment (for example, contracting Hepatitis C, HIV, etc.) through facilitating changes in behaviour.

Some needle exchanges are operated from pharmacies through the Pharmacy Needle Exchange Programme.