Approval of Organisations, Agencies or Bodies and of Authorised Representatives for the purpose of the Health (Needles and Syringes) Regulations 1998

Summary

This approval allows certain organisations and individuals under regulation 5 of the Health (Needles and Syringes) Regulations 1998 to distribute needles and syringes.

Approved organisations include places that are designated as specified places under section 24A(7)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975.

In addition, authorised representatives are approved in relation to those specified places. These include: 

• medical practitioners approved as specified medical practitioners for a specified place
• medical practitioners working in a specified place who are authorised in writing by a specified medical practitioner to prescribe controlled drugs
• nurse practitioners, designated prescriber nurses, or designated prescriber pharmacists who are working in a specified place and similarly authorised in writing to prescribe controlled drugs.

Text of Approval notice

Approval of Organisations, Agencies or Bodies and of Authorised Representatives for the purpose of the Health (Needles and Syringes) Regulations 1998

I, Ruth Isaac, Acting Director-General of Health approve: 

1. the following organisations, agencies or bodies for the purposes of regulation 5 of Health (Needles and Syringes) Regulations 1998:
   1. Places approved as specified places pursuant to section 24A(7)(b) of the Misuse of Drugs Act 1975  
2. the following persons for the purposes of regulation 5 of Health (Needles and Syringes) Regulations 1998, as authorised representatives, in relation to those bodies in 1 above: 
   1. medical practitioners approved as specified medical practitioners pursuant to section 24A(7)(a) for a specified place 
   2. medical practitioners who are working in a specified place and authorised, in writing by a specified medical practitioner working in the specified place, to prescribe controlled drugs 
   3. nurse practitioners, designated prescriber nurses, or designated prescriber pharmacists who are working in a specified place; and authorised, in writing by a specified medical practitioner working in the specified place, to prescribe controlled drugs. Signed this 16 day of March 2026.

Signed this 16 day of March 2026.

Ruth Isaac, Acting Director-General of Health.