Carmarthenshire needle exchange boost
Carmarthenshire's Community Safety Partnership (CSP) has agreed to investigate new ways of providing the county’s needle exchange scheme.
A raft of improvements have recently been made to the scheme, which is a service required by each CSP in Wales, to improve return rates of used needles and the safety of both individuals and the community.
These include the introduction of smaller packs (three needles instead of 10) to encourage clients to take only the equipment they require for their day’s use; targeted outreach work by drug agencies to hotspot areas; and a new ‘Don’t Touch – Tel’ campaign to encourage the safe removal of any discarded needles.
At the same time, figures also show the number of needles being returned is improving – the return rate for the first quarter of this year (April-June) was 43 per cent compared with 30 per cent for the same period last year.
Carmarthenshire’s return rate of 40 per cent for 2008/09 also compares favourably with neighbouring counties – Ceredigion’s return rate for last year was 16 per cent and Pembrokeshire 34 per cent.
The county council’s Social Justice Scrutiny Committee received a report on the scheme and improvements at their latest meeting and members asked for alternatives to the way the scheme is provided to be researched and considered.
CSP manager Kate Thomas said: “The Welsh Assembly Government has stated that each Community Safety Partnership in Wales must ensure that there is appropriate provision in their areas.
“In Carmarthenshire, there are 16 pharmacies offering the needle exchange scheme and users are encouraged to dispose of any used equipment safely.
“However, we understand the concerns of councillors and a lot of work is being carried out to improve the scheme for the benefit of both service users as well as the wider community.“
Needle exchange schemes operate across the UK and offer injecting drug users sterile injection equipment as well as advice on safer injection techniques and appropriate disposal. The aim is to prevent the spread of blood borne diseases, in particular HIV and Hepatitis B and C, amongst both drug users and the wider community; as well as encourage drug users into treatment.
Scrutiny committee chairman Councillor Stephen James said: “The committee has genuine concerns regarding the needle exchange scheme, predominantly the number of dirty needles that are potentially being left in the community and the dangers associated with that.
“The committee’s primary concern is to protect the public. As a result, we have asked officers to investigate if there are any other areas of good practice anywhere else in the UK with regards to needle exchange schemes and report back to the committee.”
The needle exchange scheme in Carmarthenshire is commissioned by and funded by Hywel Dda Health Board.
Head of Partnerships and Integrated Commissioning for Carmarthenshire Peter Llewellyn said: “A number of actions are underway to tackle the issue of substance misuse across the county on a partnership basis. However, there continues to be major challenges and we will continue to work with our partners to make improvements.”
A raft of improvements have recently been made to the scheme, which is a service required by each CSP in Wales, to improve return rates of used needles and the safety of both individuals and the community.
These include the introduction of smaller packs (three needles instead of 10) to encourage clients to take only the equipment they require for their day’s use; targeted outreach work by drug agencies to hotspot areas; and a new ‘Don’t Touch – Tel’ campaign to encourage the safe removal of any discarded needles.
At the same time, figures also show the number of needles being returned is improving – the return rate for the first quarter of this year (April-June) was 43 per cent compared with 30 per cent for the same period last year.
Carmarthenshire’s return rate of 40 per cent for 2008/09 also compares favourably with neighbouring counties – Ceredigion’s return rate for last year was 16 per cent and Pembrokeshire 34 per cent.
The county council’s Social Justice Scrutiny Committee received a report on the scheme and improvements at their latest meeting and members asked for alternatives to the way the scheme is provided to be researched and considered.
CSP manager Kate Thomas said: “The Welsh Assembly Government has stated that each Community Safety Partnership in Wales must ensure that there is appropriate provision in their areas.
“In Carmarthenshire, there are 16 pharmacies offering the needle exchange scheme and users are encouraged to dispose of any used equipment safely.
“However, we understand the concerns of councillors and a lot of work is being carried out to improve the scheme for the benefit of both service users as well as the wider community.“
Needle exchange schemes operate across the UK and offer injecting drug users sterile injection equipment as well as advice on safer injection techniques and appropriate disposal. The aim is to prevent the spread of blood borne diseases, in particular HIV and Hepatitis B and C, amongst both drug users and the wider community; as well as encourage drug users into treatment.
Scrutiny committee chairman Councillor Stephen James said: “The committee has genuine concerns regarding the needle exchange scheme, predominantly the number of dirty needles that are potentially being left in the community and the dangers associated with that.
“The committee’s primary concern is to protect the public. As a result, we have asked officers to investigate if there are any other areas of good practice anywhere else in the UK with regards to needle exchange schemes and report back to the committee.”
The needle exchange scheme in Carmarthenshire is commissioned by and funded by Hywel Dda Health Board.
Head of Partnerships and Integrated Commissioning for Carmarthenshire Peter Llewellyn said: “A number of actions are underway to tackle the issue of substance misuse across the county on a partnership basis. However, there continues to be major challenges and we will continue to work with our partners to make improvements.”
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