Health New Zealand

Needle Exchange and Harm Reduction Services

Health New Zealand | Te Whatu Ora (Health NZ) is pleased to publish this Request for Proposals (RFP) for the delivery of regional needle exchange and harm reduction services. Through this process we will be seeking community-based providers who can:

* distribute free injecting equipment and free naloxone kits
* provide safe disposal of injecting equipment
* deliver standardised harm reduction advice on safer injecting practices
* provide wound care and first aid services
* offer service referrals.

The aim of the Needle Exchange Programme (NEP) is to reduce the incidence of infection and harm from injecting drugs and to improve the well-being of people who inject drugs (PWID). To achieve this, the NEP will increase access to sterile injecting equipment and provide harm reduction advice to PWID. The NEP will focus on increasing equitable access to harm reduction services and reduce stigma and barriers to PWID across the wider health sector and general practice.

Health NZ welcomes proposals from providers who can demonstrate excellent relationship and collaboration skills, and whose services will be delivered in partnership with Māori. Providers will also need to demonstrate how their proposed service model has been designed with appropriate input from the PWID community.

Department/Business Unit: Comissioning