Needle and Syringe Program

NUAA's Needle and Syringe Program is open from 8:30am to 6:30pm Monday through Friday and 10am to 3pm Saturdays. It is located at 345 Crown St, Surry Hills.

We offer a comprehensive selection of harm-reduction equipment; however, there are limits on the volume of equipment we can supply. Limits for specific items are clearly outlined in our online NSP shop and are subject to change. You can also call the NSP on (02) 9171 6650 (press 2 for NSP when prompted). You can pick up new equipment and drop off used equipment.

Hep C testing is available at the NSP between midday and 3pm, Tuesday to Friday.

Our NSP is staffed by peers (people with lived experience of injecting drug use), so they are knowledgeable and nonjudgmental. The NSP is also home to Open Clinic on Crown, a nurse-led primary health care clinic. Its current hours are Tuesday to Thursday from 11am to 3pm and Friday from 10am to 2pm. These hours and days may change at short notice. Please call the NSP on (02) 9171 6650 (press 2 when prompted) to find the current hours.

There is also a machine outside the front to help you access equipment outside these hours. The machine costs $2 and supplies 3x1ml syringes, water, cotton, spoon, and swabs.

If you cannot get to an NSP in person because of distance or mobility issues, we offer to mail out NSP equipment across New South Wales. See the list of equipment and use the online order form. You can also order by calling (02) 9171 6650 (press 2 for NSP). We mail out the orders on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. You can also order Naloxone, which reverses Opioid overdoses, at the shop for free. Please make sure you have completed the online naloxone course, as we are unable to post out Naloxone until the course has been completed. The link is at the top of the NSP shop page. It is a part of our requirement to cross-reference your name with the completion of the Naloxone course and your order. This means we can get your order out without any delays. Naloxone orders made by 5 pm Wednesday will be mailed on Fridays.

Due to the scale of mail-out requests, we have limits on equipment that can be ordered, and some items may be temporarily unavailable. NUAA can no longer absorb shipping costs. There will be a $10 flat shipping fee for all postage. However, you can apply for free shipping if you are facing financial hardship and/or from a regional area. To get the discount code, please call NUAA on (02) 9171 6650 and press 2 for NSP.

If you are in a position to help, we also encourage you to make a donation to NUAA if you can afford it. You can do this through the NSP online shop or in person at the NSP. We now have a tap-and-go for your convenience. You can also join NUAA as a member ($10 a year, or you can apply to waive the fee if you can’t afford it).

After 20 years, NSW NSPs now have wings and larger barrels (10mls and 20mls) available. We have a 3 tier of accessing wings and larger barrels. We have a free option where you can receive 1 box of wings and 1 box of larger barrels free once per month. Then you have the option of purchasing a box of wings and larger barrels. When purchasing you can purchase as many as you want, you are not restricted to 1 box. There is also a pay-it-forward option where you can purchase for yourself and donate the cost of a box to someone else who cannot afford to pay. You will find the 3 different tiers in the NSP shop.

You can also click here to find NSPs across the state. You can also return used sharps to NUAA’s NSP. If we are closed, there is a silver disposal bin out front of the NSP on the footpath. Most NSPs will collect used sharps. If you come across used sharps, you can call the NSW Needle Clean Up Hotline on 1800 633 353.

Pre-made fit packs include

• (Pick up only) 1s, 5s, 10s pre-made packs that include the syringe brand of your choice with spoons, water, cotton balls and swabs.

• (Mail out only) 25s pre-made packs that include the syringe brand of your choice, with spoons, water, cotton balls and swabs.

Syringes

• 0.5ml Terumo 27G

• 0.5ml Terumo 29G

• 1ml Terumo 27G

• 1ml Terumo 29G

• 1ml BDs 27G

• 1ml BDs Ultra Fine 29G

• 1ml 27G Unisharps in a range of colours

• 1ml 29G Unisharps in a range of colours

Tips - There is a limit of 3 boxes of 100 tips per order

• 18G x 1 ½ ″ (pink)

• Blunts (drawing up)

• 21G x 1 ½ ″ (green)

• 23G x 1 ¼ ″ (blue)

• 25G x1″ (orange – long)

• 25G x 5/8 ″ (orange – short)

• 26G x ½ ″ (brown)

• 27G x ½ ″ (grey)

• 30G x ½ ″ (yellow)

Wing Infusion Sets aka Butterflies, Wings, Flys – 1 box free per month or can purchase if require more

• 25G ¾ inch Orange Long Tube 30cm

Barrels - There is a limit of 1 box of 100 barrels per order

• 1ml, 3ml, 5ml

• Luer-lock or slip-on

Larger Barrels – 1 box per month free or can purchase if require more.

• 10ml and 20ml

• Luer lock or slip

Filters - There is a limit of 5 wheel filters, sterifilts, stericups or maxicups per order

• Wheel Filters Blue (Bacterial 0.22 microns)

• Sterifilts

• Stericups

• Maxicups (larger versions of stericups)

Auxiliary equipment - All auxiliary equipment must be ordered with injecting equipment. Orders for auxiliary equipment alone will not be fulfilled. The amount of equipment we can dispense at our NSP and through our postal service is limited. Limits for specific items can be found in our online NSP shop and are subject to change.

• Sterile Water (10ml)

• Alcohol Swabs

• Cotton Wool Balls

• Plastic Mixing Spoons

• Tourniquets

• Yellow Sharps Disposal Bin (1.4L or 3L)

• Citric Acid

• Fentanyl Testing Kit

Hep C testing

Tuesday - Friday, midday-3pm.

Dried Blood Spot Testing: only takes a finger prick of blood and a brief questionnaire, and you will be notified of your result within 2 weeks.

Point of Care Testing: A finger prick of blood and a questionnaire. Get your results in only 60-90 minutes! (no POCT testing after 2.15pm)

If you test positive for Hep C. We are here to support you, provide a treatment pathway, and get you started on treatment all on the same day.

You can call NUAA NSP on (02) 9171 6650 and press 2 for NSP to learn more.

Open Clinic On Crown

Our NSP at 345 Crown Street is also home to Open Clinic on Crown, which runs Tuesday to Thursday, 11am to 3pm and Friday, 10am to 2pm. The hours may change at short notice. Please call our NSP on (02) 9171 6650 to find its current hours.

It is a peer-led, nurse-based primary health care clinic collaborating with NUAA and the Kirketon Road Centre. It aims to contribute to providing affordable, accessible and equitable health care to all parts of our community. Among the services offered is hep C treatment, and you can work with our Hep C peer support worker, Tony, for support.

For more information on the clinic and its services, you can call the NSP on (02) 9171 6650 (press 2 for NSP).

Volunteering at the NSP

Do you have some free time and want to give back to your community? Do you support NUAA’s work and want to be part of the team? Why not join our team of peers!

Our Peer Participation Program is for people with a lived experience of illicit drug use who would like to contribute their knowledge and learn new skills by volunteering their spare time to NUAA’s NSP. If this sounds like you, get in touch! Phone NUAA on (02) 9171 6650, or get in touch via our volunteer application form