Notes from the fifth meeting of the National Intelligence Network on the health harms associated with drug use, held in London on 22^nd October 2014. The meeting had a specific focus on drug harms and included an update on the activities of PHE, a breifing on nitrous oxide from DrugWatch, NPS drugs, drug harms for sex workers and links between drug use and domestic violence.

In March 2014 NICE updated their guidance on needle and syringe programmes. Unlike the previous guidance this has a strong focus on both young people and the use of performance and image enhancing drugs. NNEF planning group member Vicky Fenwick has produced a one page summary.

Notes from the first meeting of the National Intelligence Network on the health harms associated with drug use, held in London. Public Health England's alcohol and drugs team facilitated the first meeting of a national intelligence network. The aim of the network is to explore, share and disseminate intelligence across the field to help identify how practice can be improved in the prevention of drug-related deaths and illness and the transmission of blood-borne viruses and other infections.

Report of a study carried out by students at the University of Bath at the end of 2011 to calculate the extent to which community pharmacies in England provide needle exchange.

The excellent 4-part series 'hepatitis C and needle exchange' (published in Findings magazine) by Mike Ashton. This is essential reading for everyone interested in needle exchange.

Notes from the fourth meeting of the National Intelligence Network on the health harms associated with drug use, held in London on 4 June 2014. The meeting had a specific focus on hepatitis C. A series of presentations from PHE looked at prevalence, testing in prisons an modelling the impact of treatment. Further presentations from the field considered good practice in substance misuse settings from a hepatologist and a drug service point of view drug, including how workforce development can improve outcomes.

Notes from the third meeting of the National Intelligence Network on the health harms associated with drug use, held in London. The meeting included sessions and presentations on: smoking and substance misuse; the updated NICE guidelines on needle and syringe programmes (NSP); and image and performance enhancing drug use. The meeting also included updates from service providers and the DrugWatch network.

Notes from the second meeting of the National Intelligence Network on the health harms associated with drug use, held in London. The meeting included sessions on alcohol use among opioid user, alerts and early warning systems and an update on drug-related death statistics and monitoring.

Nigel Brunsdon from the Injecting Advice website has developed two outcomes tools for use in needle programmes. 

Medway Community Safety Partnership and Kent Drug and Alcohol Action Team have developed a well designed, and comprehensive harm reduction assessment form, which they have allowed us to offer here for download to inform the work of other services.