Needle Exchange – How to get clean injecting equipment

We offer free and confidential Needle Exchange services throughout Bristol at various locations including selected pharmacies. You do not need to make an appointment.

If you attend a BDP Needle Exchange at one of our dedicated walk-in centres, you will also be able to speak to someone in confidence and find out more about other support we can offer you. If it’s your first time accessing a BDP Needle Exchange, you will need to complete a 15 minute registration on arrival.


Find a Needle Exchange near you

Use the map below to find your closest Needle Exchange. A full range of resources and support will only be offered at BDP Needle Exchanges. You can still receive sterile injecting equipment and return sharp boxes to pharmacies.

Please note: Specialised injecting equipment for people using Image & Performance Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) are only available at BDP Health & Harm Reduction Centre.

Full list of Needle Exchange Locations
Well Bedminster – 90 North St, Bedminster, Bristol BS3 1HF
Avicenna Pharmacy Bishopsworth, 3a St Peter’s Rise, Bristol BS13 7LU
Bhogal Dispensing Chemist, St Marks Rd, Easton, Bristol BS5 6HX
Boots Eastville, Eastgate Rd, Eastville, Bristol BS5 6XX
Well Fishponds, 306 Lodge Causeway, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3RD
Boots Bishopston, 47-49 Gloucester Rd, Bishopston, Bristol BS7 8AD
Boots Hartcliffe, 5 Silcox Rd, Bristol BS13 0EG
Magna Pharmacy Henbury, Ardenton Walk, Henbury, Bristol BS10 6SF
Kingsdown Pharmacy, 143 St Michael’s Hill, Bristol BS2 8DB
Superdrug Knowle, Unit 28, Broadwalk Shopping Centre, Wells Rd, Knowle, Bristol BS4 2QB
Lloyds Pharmacy Knowle West, 2 Knowle West Health Park, Downton Rd, Bristol BS4 1WH
Lloyds Pharmacy Lawrence Weston, 62 Ridingleaze, Lawrence Weston, Bristol BS11 0QB
Lloyds Pharmacy Redfield, 235 Church Rd, Redfield, Bristol BS5 9HL
Lloyds Pharmacy Shirehampton Health Centre, Pembroke Rd, Shirehampton, Bristol BS11 9SB
Lloyds Pharmacy Southmead, 6 Arnside Rd, Southmead, Bristol BS10 6AT
Stockwood Pharmacy, 78 Hollway Rd, Bristol BS14 8PG
Boots St Annes, 5 Langton Rd, Brislington, Bristol BS4 4EW
Well Pharmacy St George Health Centre, Bellevue Rd, Bristol BS5 7PH
Boots AvonMeads Shopping Park, Avon Meads, Bristol BS2 0SP
Boots Pharmacy Wellspring Healthy Living Centre, Beam St, Redfield, Bristol BS5 9QY
Lloyds Pharmacy Bedminster Family Practice, Regent Rd, Bedminster BS3 4AT

What we offer

Once you are registered at a BDP Needle Exchange, exchanges will only take a few minutes depending on your needs.

We are here to give you safer injecting advice, access to appropriate sterile equipment and explore safer alternatives to injecting if available. We will ask you what drugs you are using, how long you have been using them, how you are using them and how often and how much.

We will give you time to ask us any questions about your use and health and give you the opportunity to explore making changes to your drug use.


Total Dose Injecting

When you inject, some of your drug remains in the void spaces of the syringe (know as the ‘dead space’), meaning you don’t get your full dose.

If you use Low Dead Space (LDS) equipment, you will get more of your drug with each shot as less is being left behind. This means you do not need to ‘flush’ (draw blood back into the syringe and re-inject) helping to reduce the damage to your veins and reduce the risk of passing on blood-borne viruses.

Types of Syringes

Needles are measured in both their length in millimetres and their external diameter, known as the gauge. Barrels are measured in millilitres. We will provide you with advice about what equipment will suit your needs and help you reduce harm to your body.

Other Resources

To reduce the harm taking drugs causes we also provide pre-injection swabs, foil, cooking spoons, filters and citric acid. We can also provide you with:


Drug Litter

If you find any discarded needles or other drug litter in the street, please do not touch them. You can report drug litter directly to Bristol City Council’s Street Cleaning team.

REPORT DRUG LITTER