Needle Exchange

If you find any discarded needles please contact Bracknell Forest Customer Services immediately (see contact details on the right). Do not pick them up!

About the Scheme

The scheme is free and confidential.

The needle exchange service is available from the venues listed below. They provide clean injecting equipment and safe disposal of used equipment to anyone who is injecting.

Packs contain swabs, condoms and information leaflets, a personal sharps bin, needles and syringes.

'1ml', '2ml' and '5ml' packs are available for injecting into the vein.

'Steroid' packs are also available for injecting into the muscle.

The pharmacists will only ask the clients for statistical details. This is used to keep a record of how well the scheme is running and in planning a more effective service.

Services in the Bracknell Forest Area who operate the Needle Exchange are listed below.

Lloyds Pharmacy, 6 Great Hollands Square, Bracknell RG12 8UX
Alliance Pharmacy, 5 The Square, Harmanswater, Bracknell RG12 9LP
Lloyds Pharmacy, 12 Dukes Ride, Crowthorne RG45 6LT
Lloyds Pharmacy, 3 Bullbrook Row, Bracknell RG12 2NL
Superdrug Stores, unit D, 13 Charles Square, Bracknell RG12 1DF

New Hope also operates a non-pharmacy Needle Exchange -

New Hope, 92 Broadway, Bracknell RG12 1AR

There are also Needle Exchange facilities at organisations that display the following logo:

Needle Exchange Logo

Anabolic Steroids

As a substance misuse service, we are aware that the use of anabolic steroids has rapidly increased in the UK in recent years. Some surveys show between 20 and 40 per cent of those attending some gyms use them. Those identified as using steroids include sports people, bodybuilders, doormen and security guards.

Many people who use anabolic steroids are 'self-improvers'. They like to think of themselves as healthy and fit and getting ahead in the world. Even if they are injecting, they do not think of themselves as drug users, any more than somebody who regularly takes vitamin pills.

However, injecting anabolic steroids can lead to serious infection, especially hepatitis and HIV if injecting equipment is shared. Whilst not regarded as drugs of physical dependence, regular steroid use can lead to psychological dependence when the user is convinced they cannot perform well without being on drugs.

As part of our harm minimisation programme, we now provide a free Needle Exchange service at New Hope. We have also teamed up with the 5 pharmacies listed above, to provide an extensive programme within Bracknell Forest.