Primary Care

There is an extensive network of pharmacy services aimed at limiting some of the risks associated with drug misuse. In addition to services offered by providers such as Drugline there are a large number of pharmacies in Birmingham that offer the service of needle exchange and supervised consumption to the Birmingham community.

Needle Exchange Scheme

Needle exchange is about harm reduction and is a service that is offered by a large number of pharmacies in Birmingham and is a significant impact in reducing the risk of spreading hepatitis and HIV.

Needle exchange also providrs an opportunity to engage with drug users who currently do not access substance misuse services and who are not in treatment.

Click here for a list of pharmacies offering Needle Exchange Services

Supervised Consumption

Currently 70 pharmacies across Birmingham provide supervised consumption programmes for substitution therapy which is proving to be highly effective in the treatment of patients dependant on opiates.

During the initial induction phase onto methadone or subutex a patient could potentially move on to significantly elevated doses before stablization is achieved. To support this supervised consumption programmes ensure that the patient complies with the prescribed dose and provides the added advantage of avoiding diversion or leakage of the drug into the illegal market.

These specially trained pharmacists will have contact with patients receiving supervised consumption on a daily basis more often than any other healthcare professional and so are able to monitor the patients during this crucial phase of their treatment.

Click here for a list of pharmacists offering Supervised Consumption Services