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Teaching people to access veins - practical issues
Rob van der Waal, Clinical Project Lead, RIOTT and Pete Beavan, Senior Substance Misuse Nurse, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust

Abstract
In 2005 the first pilot supervised injecting clinic opened in South London, as part of the Randomised Injectable Opioid Treatment Trial (RIOTT). Through a combination of daily attendance and frequent psycho-social support the program provides treatment to a small group of ‘hard-to-treat’ patients who continue to inject street heroin despite many previous treatments. Repeated daily attendance has provided the clinicians with a unique opportunity to assess, monitor and (if necessary) change injecting practices which has resulted in a significant reduction of injecting-related risk behaviours.

This workshop will i) provide a brief overview of the operation of the supervised injecting service, ii) outline the injecting protocols and procedures in the clinic, iii) explore some of the clinical issues related to injecting with an emphasis on the assessment and review of vein care, provision of advice and training in safer injecting techniques and the assessment of injecting related complications.

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Biographies

Rob van der Waal has been the clinical project lead for the injectable service at Marina House. He has worked as a nurse in the addictions field in Britain, Holland and Australia.

Pete Beavan is the acting team leader for the injectable service at Marina House. He has worked as a nurse in the addictions field for 15 years, encompassing inpatient detoxification, rehabilitation, community teams and criminal justice.