The Twenty Four: 7 Harm Reduction Team consists of registered nurses and support workers.
The Harm Reduction Service is a nurse-led service that has been established since 1998. Based at the Central Needle Exchange it offers a confidential and anonymous service that predominantly operates on a drop-in basis.
Needle Exchanges are vital in helping to reduce the transmission of blood borne viruses. Firstly they help prevent the risks associated with drug related litter and needle stick injury to the general public by their used equipment and drug paraphernalia being appropriately disposed of, and secondly by helping prevent infections to people who inject drugs.
The service offers a range of interventions with the overall aim of reducing the harm associated with injecting drug use.
The services that we provide to our clients without an appointment are:
- Needle Exchange
- Safer injecting advice
- Assessment of injecting injuries
- Blood borne virus screening
- Hepatitis B vaccinations
- Telephone Drug Information and Advice Line (DIAL)
- Sexual health advice
- Chlamydia testing
- Pregnancy testing
- C card scheme with condom provision
- Housing/homelessness advice
- Clothing stall for the roofless and homeless
- Advice/information and signposting to other services and agencies
- We also offer hot drinks, biscuits, soup and fruit.
Interventions that are offered that would generally require an appointment are:
- Advocacy and support through Hepatitis and HIV treatment.
- Health Assessments
- Assessments for clients who wish to commence on a treatment program.
- Stimulant clinics – advice for Crack/Cocaine/Amphetamine users.
- Steroid clinics – advice and health checks for people using performance enhancing drugs.
- Sleep clinics – natural relaxation techniques.
- Smear clinics
- Training for the service users: Overdose Awareness/Basic Life Support as well as Safer Injecting courses.
- Two afternoons every week we operate a mobile needle exchange which can be accessed by the service users who live in more rural areas.
You can find us at on Regent Terrace close to Gateshead High Street and the Gateshead Interchange.
Come see us 9am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday. Late opening on a Thursday until 8pm. Also on the last Tuesday of every month a Steroid Clinic is held between 5pm and 7pm.
| Telephone: | 0191 490 1709 |
The Department of Health Models of Care document (2002) advocates the widening of the accessibility of Needle Exchange schemes and Harm Reduction services, again to reduce the likelihood of injecting drug users sharing equipment. With this in mind we also work with a number of pharmacies who provide a tier one or basic needle exchange service where any client can dispose of their drug paraphernalia and gain access to sterile injecting equipment.
