Source · Select Committees · Home Affairs Committee
Recommendation 54
54
Accepted in Part
Paragraph: 192
Ensure needle and syringe programmes reach wider populations to prevent blood-borne virus transmission.
Conclusion
We are concerned by the effect the Covid-19 pandemic has had on the provision of needle and syringe programmes. The UK must continue its efforts in preventing the spread of blood-borne viruses by ensuring needle and syringe programmes reach as wide a population as possible.
Government Response Summary
The government partially accepted, stating that existing programs already support blood-borne virus prevention and mentioning new funding via the SSMTR Grant (£1.3m) and a UKHSA pilot for data collection.
Paragraph Reference:
192
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The Government partially accepts this recommendation. Needle and syringe programmes are already embedded into, or work alongside, drug and alcohol services, commissioned by local authority public health to meet local need. Drug and alcohol services already support blood- borne virus prevention, and provide testing, vaccination, and treatment for these viruses. The SSMTR Grant menu of interventions includes an expansion of these services, including specifying the grant could be spent on low dead space syringes. Local authority SSMTR Grant plans included an additional £1.3 million being invested in needle and syringe programmes in 2023/24. The UK Health Security Agency, because of its interest in preventing blood- borne virus transmission and meeting agreed targets for hepatitis C elimination, has mapped needle and syringe programme sites in England and is now planning to pilot a new system for collecting needle and syringe programme data using automated data extractions from existing software systems. NICE published guidance in 2014 on needle and syringe programmes for people who inject drugs to reduce transmission of blood-borne diseases.21 One of its recommendations is that commissioners of needle and syringe programme should provide a range of services to meet local need. These services should provide health promotion advice and provide readily available hepatitis B and C testing and provision of, or referrals to, services for vaccinations, treatment and secondary care.