Needle and syringe programmes
This commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE public health guidance through commissioning, and is a resource to help local strategic partnerships (LSPs), local drug partnerships including drug (and alcohol) action teams (D[A]ATs), drug joint commissioning managers and primary care trust (PCT) commissioners in England to commission effective needle and syringe programmes (NSPs) using a harm-reduction approach.
This commissioning guide should be read together with the following NICE guidance:
The public health guidance promotes the optimal provision of NSPs among injecting drug users. The recommendations aim to help people over the age of 18 who inject illicit substances. Some of the recommendations are also relevant to adults who inject non-prescribed anabolic steroids and other performance and image-enhancing drugs (PIEDs).
The commissioning guide complements broader drug treatment commissioning guidance from the National Treatment Agency for Substance Misuse.
Implementation of the guidance noted above is the responsibility of LSPs, local drug partnerships (including D[A]ATs), drug joint commissioning managers and PCT commissioners. Commissioners and providers are reminded that it is their responsibility to implement this guidance, in their local context, in light of their duties to avoid unlawful discrimination and to have regard to promoting equality of opportunity. Nothing in the guidance should be interpreted in a way which would be inconsistent with compliance with those duties.
The guide:
- makes the case for commissioning needle and syringe programmes
- specifies service requirements
- helps you determine local service levels
- helps you ensure corporate and quality assurance.
The full text of this commissioning guide is accessed from the navigation menu on the right hand side of the screen. The associated commissioning tool is available until 25 June 2010 to primary care organisations in England who are already registered to use the tool. New registrations for the existing commissioning tool will not be possible after 31 March 2010.
From 1 April 2010 the new freely available commissioning and benchmarking tool can be downloaded here. There is no need to register.
We are keen to improve the commissioning guides in order to better meet the needs of commissioners. Please send us your ideas for future topic-specific guides or other comments.
Read the NICE disclaimer for information on the use and accuracy of content on the NICE website.
This page was last updated: 02 March 2012
- Needle and syringe programmes
- Commissioning needle and syringe programmes
- Specifying needle and syringe programmes
- Determining local service levels for needle and syringe programmes
- Assumptions used in estimating a population benchmark
- The commissioning and benchmarking tool
- Ensuring corporate and quality assurance
