Title:High Prevalence of Abandoned Needlesticks from Injecting Drug Users in Milton Keynes, UK: Analysing Access to Needle Exchange Centres and Drug Dependency Services
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Author(s): Dushyant Mital*, Steve Conway and Joanne Trueman
Affiliation:
- Department of Blood Borne Viruses, Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Standing Way, Eaglestone, Milton Keynes MK6 5LD,United Kingdom
Keywords:
Injecting drug use, blood borne viruses, discarded needlesticks, marginalised cohort, Human Immunodeficiency
Virus (HIV), hepatitis C.
Abstract: Background: In 2015, Milton Keynes (MK) Council waste management team shows an
increase in the numbers of abandoned used needles being found across MK. MK is an area of high
Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) prevalence and high Hepatitis C (HCV) in People Who Inject
Drugs (PWID), the overriding concern was for the safety of the public.
Methods: Analysis of data collection to understand the scale and spread of the problem, preventing/
reducing the incidence of abandoned needles and looking at access to the designated Drug Dependency
Unit (DDU) and the Blood Borne Virus (BBV) service. Through data mapping, hotspot
areas of used needles abandonment were analysed.
Results: Peak needle stick finds were in March and June 2015 mainly in areas of social deprivation
and marginalisation where designated needle exchange points were identified. 174 reports of abandoned
needles were reported between January 2015 and November 2015 with a total of 2379 individual
needles. 87% of the total numbers of needles were found in just 8 estates.
Conclusion: Tackling the issue of abandoned needles effectively should be done through a targeted,
multi-agency approach. Reductions in needlestick abandonment can be strengthened through improving
access to needle exchange points, DDU and BBV services, delivering high-quality harm reduction
interventions and using data mapping in order to identify and target hot spot areas.
