Harm Reduction Needle and Syringe ProgramsAbout Harm Reduction - Needle and Syringe Programs
An Overview
Benefits of NSPs
Types of NSPs
The Australian Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) network was established in the late 1980s to prevent and reduce the harmful consequences arising from injecting drug use, particularly the spread of HIV/AIDS and later hepatitis C.
This goal is supported by the National Drugs Strategy, the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and the National Hepatitis C Strategy as part of a harm minimisation framework that incorporates supply reduction, demand reduction and harm reduction.
NSPs have had bipartisan political support nationally and in every state and territory since their establishment 20 years ago. Australian Governments invested $130 million in NSPs between 1991 and 2000, resulting in the prevention of an estimated 25,000 cases of HIV and 21,000 cases of hepatitis C. The savings to the health care system in avoided treatment costs over a lifetime are estimated to be between $2.4 and $7.7 billion.
The success of the program to-date lies in its harm reduction approach that recognises some people who engage in high-risk behaviours such as drug use are unwilling or unable to abstain.
Today, more than 850 agencies across Australia offer NSP services. These organisations provide sterile injecting equipment, counselling and information, as well as a vital gateway to many health and support services, including drug treatment programs.
Approximately 2,000 pharmacy-based services also provide access to sterile injecting equipment across Australia.
NSPs send the message that drug use can be dangerous and the community wants to minimise the damage.
The Australian Government’s NSP information booklets, ‘Your Questions Answered’ and ‘A Review of the Evidence’ provide answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about NSPs, such as:
Why are NSPs necessary?
Why are people who inject drugs provided with sterile needles and syringes?
Are NSPs legal?
Will the distribution of needles and syringes increase injecting drug use?
Do NSPs increase discarding of used needles and syringes?
I have found a needle and syringe near my home, what should I do?
How many people inject drugs in Australia?
What is Australia’s National Drug Strategy?
What is the level of community support for NSPs?
Benefits of NSPs
The benefits of Needle and Syringe Programs (NSPs) are extensive:
NSPs have been one of the major public health success stories, saving thousands of lives.
Australia is a world leader in preventing the spread of HIV. NSPs have meant that HIV infection is very rare among both injecting drug users and the wider community. In Australia, the level of HIV infection among people who inject drugs has remained around 1%, compared to others with levels over 50%.
NSPs provide the broadest interface between health services and injecting drug users…
NSPs are a critical component of the health service system for people who often have limited access to health services. NSPs act as a unique referral point into many other health and welfare services, including drug treatment, medical care and legal and social services.
NSPs are cost effective…
The savings to the health care system in avoided treatment costs for HIV alone is more than 20 times the cost of running NSPs.
NSPs help decrease the number of inappropriately discarded needles and syringes…
NSPs encourage clients to dispose of used needles and syringes safely and clear discarded injecting equipment from areas where injecting drug use occurs.
NSPs do not increase injecting drug use, but rather decrease injecting drug use…
No study has ever found that the introduction of an NSP contributed to increased levels of injecting drug use. A World Health Organisation review concluded that NSPs do not encourage more frequent injection of drugs or increase the recruitment of new injecting drug users. Injecting drug users who attend NSPs are more likely to reduce or stop injecting drugs than those who do not attend
Types of NSPs
Some Needle and Syringe Program services operate from a fixed-site…
These services are located in buildings that can be easily accessed by service users, such as community health centres, hospitals, sexual health clinics and drug and alcohol agencies. These services usually operate during business hours.
There are also mobile-outreach services…
These services may operate from a vehicle (such as a car, van or bus) or in a small number of cases, utilise a ‘foot outreach’ model. This involves Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) staff carrying backpacks containing sterile injecting equipment, safe disposal containers and educational information.
A limited number of agencies receive direct funding to operate a Needle and Syringe Program and are known as ‘Primary’ NSPs…
These services have staff who are dedicated primarily to the delivery of NSP services. This ensures that the outlet can deliver the full range of high-quality services aimed at health maintenance and the prevention of drug harms.
The majority of Needle and Syringe Programs are known as "Secondary" services...
These outlets don’t receive direct funding to provide staffed services and many struggle with competing needs, demands and limited funding.
Sterile injecting equipment may also be obtained from pharmacies, and, in some states, needle and syringe dispensing machines…
Sterile injecting equipment may be provided at a cost or for free at pharmacies participating in a state-based pharmacy program.
In some Australian jurisdictions, in particular NSW, needle and syringe dispensing machines have been introduced to provide 24-hour access to sterile injecting equipment.
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