Safer Injecting Advice

Injecting substances carries risks, including infection, vein damage, and overdose. Safer injecting advice is about reducing those risks as much as possible, protecting your health, and helping you stay safe.

You do not have to stop injecting, or be in treatment, to access harm reduction advice or equipment from Wirral Ways.

Why safer injecting matters

Using unclean or shared injecting equipment can lead to:

  • HIV and Hepatitis B or C

  • Abscesses and infections

  • Vein damage and circulation problems

  • Increased overdose risk

Using new, sterile equipment every time significantly reduces these risks.

Always use new, sterile equipment

Every injection should use:

  • A new needle and syringe

  • A new spoon or cooker

  • A new filter

  • Clean water (preferably sterile)

Never share any injecting equipment, even with someone you trust. Sharing can still pass on infections.

Needle and Syringe Programme (NSP) services provide free, confidential access to sterile equipment.

Preparing to inject safely

Before injecting:

  • Wash your hands with soap and water

  • Clean the injection site with an alcohol wipe

  • Use clean, well-lit surroundings

  • Take your time and avoid rushing

Good preparation reduces infection and injury risk.

Choosing and caring for injection sites

Rotating sites

  • Rotate injection sites regularly

  • Avoid injecting into the same place repeatedly

  • Allow sites time to heal

Repeated use of the same site increases vein damage and infection risk.

Areas to avoid

  • Avoid injecting into groin, neck, or deep veins

  • Avoid swollen, painful, or infected areas

If you are unsure, seek advice before injecting.

Injecting safely

Harm reduction advice includes:

  • Inject slowly to reduce vein damage

  • Avoid injecting if you feel unwell, very tired, or intoxicated

  • Use smaller test doses, especially after a break

  • Never inject alone if possible

If opioids are involved, carry naloxone and ensure someone knows how to use it.

After injecting

After injecting:

  • Apply gentle pressure with a clean swab

  • Do not lick the injection site

  • Dispose of used equipment immediately in a sharps bin

  • Monitor the site for signs of infection

Signs of infection or complications

Seek medical advice if you notice:

  • Redness, swelling, or warmth

  • Pain or pus at the injection site

  • Fever or flu-like symptoms

  • Darkening or hardening of veins

Early treatment prevents serious complications.

Overdose risk and injecting

Injecting delivers substances into the bloodstream quickly, increasing overdose risk.

Risk is higher:

  • After a break or reduced use

  • When mixing substances

  • When using alone

  • When strength or purity is unknown

Use smaller test doses and avoid mixing substances where possible.

Disposal of used equipment

Safe disposal protects you and others.

  • Use sharps bins provided by NSP services

  • Do not dispose of needles in household waste

  • Return full sharps bins to NSP sites

Support from Wirral Ways

Wirral Ways provides confidential, non-judgemental support for people who inject drugs.

You can access:

  • Needle and syringe services

  • Safer injecting advice

  • Naloxone

  • BBV testing and vaccination signposting

  • Health checks and one-to-one support

You do not have to stop injecting to get support.

Get support

If you would like advice on safer injecting, equipment, or your health, contact Wirral Ways to find out what support is available.

Looking after your health matters. Support is here for you.

If you inject drugs, the equipment you use makes a real difference to your health. This page explains what dead space is, why low dead space needles and syringes reduce the risk of HIV and hepatitis C, and how to get free, confidential equipment and advice from Wirral Ways.

There’s no judgement here. Whether you inject yourself, support someone who does, or work with people who inject, you’ll find clear, practical information below. The safest option is always new equipment for every injection, and our team can help you get it.

If someone is unresponsive or not breathing properly, call 999 straight away.

If you have to reuse: rinsing and sterilising

Alt text: Three steps showing a syringe drawing up water, then thin bleach, then water again, and flushing each into a sink.

New equipment for every injection is always the safest option, and it’s free from Wirral Ways and participating pharmacies. If you ever have no choice but to reuse your own equipment, cleaning lowers the risk but doesn’t remove it, particularly for hepatitis C. Low dead space equipment rinses more effectively because there’s less space for blood to stay. Fill two clean cups with cold water and one with thin bleach. Draw up water and flush it out. Draw up bleach and flush it out. Then draw up water from the second cup and flush again to rinse away the bleach. Use cold water, as hot water can make blood clot inside the syringe. Never reuse anyone else’s equipment, even after cleaning.

Dead space compared

Alt text: Four syringes side by side, labelled from high dead space to low dead space.

Not all injecting equipment is the same. This graphic shows four common types, from highest to lowest dead space. A standard detachable needle on a standard syringe has high dead space. A modified syringe reduces it. A low dead space detachable needle, which has a plug that fills the tip of the syringe, brings it down further. A fixed, all-in-one needle and syringe has the least dead space of all. The right choice depends on where you inject and what works for you, so speak to a member of our team or your pharmacist if you’re not sure which to pick.

Visit your local exchange

Alt text: A poster showing the cycle “take, return, repeat” around a drug service building, with “advice about choosing the right needles and syringes”.

Needle and syringe programmes (often called needle exchanges) are free, confidential and open to anyone who injects drugs, including people who inject steroids and other image and performance enhancing drugs. The idea is simple: take what you need, return your used equipment, and repeat. Returned equipment is disposed of safely, so it can’t be shared or picked up by anyone else. Take enough for every injection until your next visit. Our staff can also help you choose the right needles and syringes, talk through any worries about your veins or injecting sites, and offer testing and further support whenever you want it, with no pressure.

Viruses, sharing and testing

Alt text: Five illustrated circles showing: get tested, choose low, take all you need, mark your works and keep separate.

HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C can be passed on by sharing any injecting equipment, not only needles. Spoons, filters, water and tourniquets can all carry blood. Five simple steps lower the risk. Get tested regularly so you know your status. Choose the lowest dead space equipment for where you’re injecting. Pick up enough new equipment to use a fresh set every time. Mark your syringes, or use different coloured ones, so you always know which are yours. If you inject with other people, keep your equipment separate. Hepatitis C can now be cured with a short course of tablets, and we offer free, confidential testing and hepatitis B vaccination.

Why use low dead space?

Alt text: A close-up of a needle hub showing the dead space, with four icons: less bugs, more drugs, easy clean and no flush.

Low dead space needles and syringes are designed to leave much less fluid behind after injecting, and that brings four clear benefits. Less blood left in the syringe means a lower risk of passing on HIV and hepatitis C if equipment is ever shared. Less drug is wasted, so there’s less reason to “flush” (drawing blood back into the syringe to get the last of the drug), which damages veins over time. And if equipment ever has to be reused, low dead space equipment is much easier to clean properly. Ask our team about the right sizes for you.

Dead space: what is it?

Alt text: A syringe with the gap between the needle and the plunger highlighted in red and labelled “dead space”.

Dead space is the small gap between the tip of the needle and the plunger that remains even when the plunger is pushed all the way down. After an injection, a small amount of blood and drug stays trapped in that gap. If equipment is shared or reused, that blood can pass on HIV or hepatitis C, even when you can’t see any blood. It also means some of the drug is wasted every time. How much dead space a syringe has depends on the design of the needle and syringe, which is why the type of equipment you choose really matters.

Naloxone saves lives

Alt text: An open naloxone kit containing a syringe and two needles, with icons reminding people not to remove the needles from the kit.

Naloxone temporarily reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, including from heroin, methadone and stronger synthetic opioids. Wirral Ways gives out free naloxone kits and shows you how to use them. Please don’t take the needles out of your naloxone kit to inject with. Low dead space detachable needles don’t fit the naloxone syringe, so a kit without its own needles can’t be used in an emergency. If you open, use or damage your kit, bring it back and we’ll replace it. Always call 999 after using naloxone, as it can wear off before the opioids do, and stronger opioids such as nitazenes may need more than one dose.

Where to get free equipment

You can pick up free, confidential injecting equipment from:

  • Any of our hubs
  • Participating pharmacies across Wirral

Available equipment includes needles and syringes (including low dead space options), spoons, filters, sterile water, swabs, citric acid, sharps bins and naloxone kits. 

Please return used equipment in a sharps bin to Wirral Ways or a participating pharmacy. Don’t put used needles in household or recycling bins.

Last Updated on 1 October 2026