Needle and Syringe Programs In Australia: Peer-led Best Practice (The Guide)

As part of its 2017–18 work plan, AIVL sought to develop a Needle and Syringe Program (NSP) Best Practice Guide that detailed the needs of people who inject drugs, service delivery models across Australia and practice considerations for service providers that are informed by peer experience and led by peer intelligence. This project built on findings from a National NSP Forum that AIVL held in Sydney in 2015 and from a 2017 literature review that detailed NSP service models and international NSP best practice.

This is ‘The Guide’ (download below) that resulted from the subsequent literature review and consultations following the AIVL National Forum.

Consistency of equipment across different types of NSP outlets has been identified in the Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League’s (AIVL) Needle and Syringe Programs in Australia: Peer-led Best Practice report as a critical component of NSP best practice service provision. An audit of equipment availability across each state and territory reveals significant differences in the type of equipment between jurisdictions, as well as between different types of NSP outlets within jurisdictions.

Different types of injections require different types of equipment and it is critical that a consistent range of basic injecting equipment be provided across all NSP outlet types to ensure the NSP services can support the diversity of injecting drug use.

The factsheet (download below) outlines AIVL’s recommended equipment for NSPs across Australia. It provides an overview of equipment that AIVL recommends NSPs stock as well as providing guidance to NSP staff on providing the right equipment for the right injection.