Today marks the 35th anniversary of BDP’s Needle & Syringe Program. Back in 1987, HIV cases in the UK and around the world were rising. Everyone was searching for new ways to keep people safe and reduce the harm caused by the virus.
What is a Needle & Syringe Program?
Needle & Syringe Programs (NSPs) provide sterile injecting equipment to people who inject drugs. Using sterile injecting equipment drastically lowers the chance of contracting a blood-borne virus such as HIV or Hepatitis C. Needle & Syringe Programs were originally known as Needle Exchanges as early iterations around the world required users to hand in their used equipment in order to be given new clean equipment.
When were they first introduced?
The first Needle & Syringe Programs were introduced in 1987 in 25 locations around the UK. These first locations, including ours at BDP, were part of a pilot commissioned by the then Department for Health and Social Security into the effectiveness of NSPs in reducing rates of HIV in people who inject drugs. Since then, the number of NSP locations has increased markedly. NSPs were shown to have positive health outcomes, and along with little public or political backlash, means sterile injecting equipment is now available for free up and down the country.
Why are NSPs important?
Providing people who inject drugs with clean injecting equipment reduces the potential harms faced by this population in a number of important ways:
Reduces the risk of transmission of blood-borne viruses
Viruses such as HIV and Hep C are transmitted through the sharing of injecting equipment as blood containing a blood-borne virus can be introduced into a healthy person’s bloodstream.
Using used injecting equipment increases the chance of injecting injuries
Reusing injecting equipment increases the chances of injecting injuries such as infections, abscesses and other wounds. Needles get blunt even after one use, and anytime spent outside of the sealed and sterile packaging increases the chance of infection.
Providing free injecting equipment increases engagement with drug services
Individuals accessing sterile injecting equipment have to engage with health care professionals. This means that drug workers have an opportunity to engage with people who inject drugs even if they have no intention of making any changes to their use. These brief interactions can be invaluable as workers can talk to individuals about their injecting practices, discuss safer techniques and lower the barriers for people to engage with services in a more structured manner.
We are incredibly proud of being part of the pioneering history of Needle Syringe Provision in the UK. Over the years, there have been a few significant steps forward in our ability to reduce harm that come from new technology or changes in legislation that allow something previously prohibited to be rolled out. NSPs are one of these advancements and are an essential service for us to reduce harm and as a tool to engage with existing and new service users.
Professor Gerry Stimson’s team pioneered research in this area which helped NSPs develop as core elements of the UK’s drug services: you can find one of their many publications here.
The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs(ACMD) has published a self-commissioned review of the evidence on the provision and availability of naloxone in the UK. Naloxone is a medicine that can temporarily reverse the effects of opioids and is used as an emergency treatment for people suspected to be experiencing an opioid overdose. The review looks at the provision and availability of naloxone and has made a number of recommendations to optimise the use of naloxone to reduce drug-related harms.
BDP supply the majority of naloxone in the Bristol area and because of this we were asked to contribute to the report. We submitted information on the prevalence and provision of naloxone, how many people were carrying it, how many people are using it and a series of recommendations from our own experiences that would improve naloxone provision in the UK. This information was comprised of statistics from our records, along with input, opinions and case studies from BDP service users, people who have received naloxone training from BDP and our staff.
We welcome the recommendations put forward by the ACMD after gathering this wealth of evidence which include:
Improving the quality of the data of take-home naloxone across the UK
Using evidence to increase naloxone carriage
Greater provision to those leaving prison
Increase carriage within emergency service staff
Allowing all community pharmacies to provide naloxone as some are currently unable to do so
This festival season is set to be our busiest yet and we can’t wait!
After the dreaded c-word cancelled all events in 2020 and the 2021 season got off to a late start, this year we finally get to enjoy a full programme of events – let’s dance likes its 2019!
Whether you’re a seasoned veteran of the festival circuit or a fresh-faced newbie, we’ll be around to support you and your mates to stay safe if you choose to use alcohol or other drugs. Stop by if you’ve got any questions about drugs, to test your knowledge or take a minute to chill out if you are feeling worse for wear. Of course, we’ll be providing all our usual freebies including condoms, lube, lollies, clean snorting equipment and stickers!
Below is a list of events where you’ll be able to find us over the next few months. Grab your tickets now before they sell out!:
We are delighted to announce that the first regular city-centre drug checking service licensed by the Home Office is coming to Bristol. The service is funded by Bristol City Council and will operate as a multi-agency partnership between The Loop, Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (PRSC) and ourselves here at Bristol Drugs Project (BDP). The Loop is a charity that has been offering drug checking and harm reduction services since 2013, aiming to reduce high–risk drug taking. PRSC is a community enterprise promoting our local independent arts community and the project will make use of their space.
What is drug checking?
Drug checking is where a substance is tested to find out what it contains and the strength of its contents. Unregulated drug markets mean that people buying drugs have no guarantee about what they are purchasing. Drug checking uses laboratory techniques to analyse the content and strength of pills and powders. The results of the lab analysis are given alongside a harm reduction and healthcare consultation, putting people in a better position to make an informed choice and to understand the relative risks of taking the substances they have purchased.
Why is it needed?
Evidence from The Loop shows that drug checking is an effective way of reducing harm. Nearly two-thirds of people who got a substance tested disposed of it when it was shown to contain something other than what they had bought or been given. They also found that half of the people who found that their tested substance was what they expected chose to take a lower dose after receiving the harm reduction intervention.
How do I get a substance tested?
You will need to bring your substance of concern to BDP where you will be asked to leave it in an amnesty box. The sample will then be tested in The Loop’s on-site pop-up lab. While you wait for your results, you can enjoy the multitude of independent cafes and arts venues on and around Stokes Croft. An hour later, you will receive a healthcare consultation and test results from workers located at the People’s Republic of Stokes Croft. The service is confidential, you are linked to your substance by a code and only you can receive your results.
The first event is pencilled in for the 28th of May. As soon as it’s confirmed we will put more details of how to use the service on our website.
We look forward to working together on this project.
It’s exciting times for people who choose not to drink alcohol. Alcohol-Free drinks are booming, and choosing to be alcohol-free is becoming more popular and widely understood.
However, one area still lacking is opportunities for nights out to see music and socialise without the occasion being centred around alcohol. Choosing not to drink can be alienating. Having an event or location where you can socialise with others who have also decided not to drink can alleviate the social pressures associated with being alcohol-free. Enter Bristol Sober Spaces, a collaborative project that aims to provide events, community and music for the alcohol-free population of Bristol. We chatted to Chris De Banks of Not Saints and one of the key members of the project to find out more:
So, what exactly is Bristol Sober Spaces?
Bristol Sober Spaces is a collaborative project between BDP, Not Saints, and the broader Bristol recovery and sober communities to show that great times can be had without alcohol and drugs. For those that love live music and the thrill of seeing a great gig, we hope that these shows will be the bridge between finding sobriety and having a good old-fashioned night out without the triggers and barriers that people in recovery can face. We also want to provide gigs for people who don’t drink for cultural or religious reasons or for people who just want to sample a sober night. Funded by the National Lottery as part of the Not Saints’ ‘Recovery Communities Live project’ we truly believe that recovery and sobriety in the UK are one community that should come together regularly and celebrate all that we have to offer.
How did this all come about?
It all started in the pandemic, believe it or not. When most people were lamenting the loss of live music, myself and the team at Not Saints took a good hard look at what we do and what we could take out to communities around the country. It was obvious from our conversations via a well-known video conferencing platform that people’s love of music and the unity that a great show can bring should be part of this new project. We put together a project proposal, and I trundled off to the National Lottery cap in hand. And success! They awarded us a funding grant to work with 7 locations around the UK to develop a regular performance-based night out in each city or region. For some, it’s Sober Mic nights, others a celebration of recovery with more structured programs, but Bristol is at the forefront of the project so far with the Bristol Beacon on board and some truly killer bands lined up.
So, your first event is in the books?
It certainly looks like it. The Bristol Beacon is such a fantastic venue and we are genuinely thrilled to have their support for the first event on the 5th of May. We’ve also got such an exciting secret headliner and that’s going to be such an amazing reveal. I think everyone is going to be blown away!
Where do I get tickets?
Glad you asked! The event is at Bristol Beacon on the 5th of May and kicks off at 7:30pm. Tickets are being sold on a pay-what-you-can basis with a suggested donation of £5 and are being sold via Headfirst here: hdfst.uk/E73304
What more is to come for Bristol Sober Spaces?
At the moment, we’re really focused on the launch event on the 5th of May, but we are already fleshing out plans for more shows in the summer and autumn as our goal is to try and put something on quarterly. We’ve also been talking about some smaller social events and sober mic nights, so watch this space!
How can I get involved?
We’d love for more people to jump on board; it’s such an exciting project with so much scope for creativity and connection. You don’t have to have any events experience or musicality, just a willingness to get stuck in and have a go. If anyone wants to get involved, then they can contact Chris at Not Saints via email at chris@notsaints.co.uk or Sophie Wilsdon at BDP on sophie.wilsdon@bdp.org.uk or 0117 987 6000.
Thanks for your time Chris and we hope that has got you excited for the first event! Grab your tickets here: hdfst.uk/E73304
Our blood-borne viruses nurse Jess Oke has been shortlisted for the innovation award at the British Journal of Nursing Awards 2022. We are incredibly proud and excited for Jess, who rightly deserves the recognition she has received for her ongoing work to test and treat every person involved in our services for Hep C and other blood-borne viruses.
The British Journal of Nursing is a publication for nurses that provides a comprehensive resource that brings together nursing practice, education and leadership. Every year BJN celebrate nurses in the field through their awards ceremony. Their awards range the breadth of nursing practice with awards for nurses in specific areas of nursing along with awards such as nurse of the year and lifetime achievement awards. Jess has been shortlisted for the Innovation which is awarded for nurses who are improving patient care, developing innovative services and creating new roles in health care.
We have everything crossed for Jess as we approach the date of the awards later this week but win or lose, her contribution to BDP and the people we support is massively celebrated by all of us here and we are incredibly grateful for her continued efforts.
