West Midlands team to reach more people than ever
We’ve recruited five new members of staff to help us better reach the population of Birmingham and the West Midlands.
The Birmingham operational delivery network (ODN) is the largest in England, coordinating hepatitis C care across 14 local authorities across the West Midlands Region, via 11 NHS Trusts. The West Midlands ODN area has a diverse population of six million – over 10% of England’s population – and with notable levels of deprivation across most areas.
The team’s expansion means that not only can we test more people, we can also provide the level of support needed to get patients onto and through treatment.
Paul Huggett, Birmingham and West Midlands Manager, said: “A lot of patients are unable to complete treatment. Being able to take the time to build the relationships with the patient is so very important. The increase in staff will mean we can provide the support in in more parts of the region which has not been possible until now.
“Our volunteer peer team is also growing which is a really important part of what we do. Their local knowledge and lived experience is a great asset as it means we can target test in the right areas and reach the right people.”
Peer-to-peer prison testing brings huge rise in uptake
Testing for blood-borne viruses (BBVs) at HMP Birmingham has risen sharply in just 18 months following the introduction of a new peer testing team.
Previously, just 5 per cent of residents at the prison were being tested for hepatitis C and other BBVs on arrival. This lack of testing put the prison population at risk of infection and made it difficult for staff to identify people who might be at risk of BBVs.
To tackle this issue, a completely new approach was needed. With the support of the prison’s Healthcare Manager, The Hepatitis C Trust helped to train four residents to screen for hepatitis C at reception. This group of resident peers, called the Expectation Team, now complete all reception testing for hepatitis C using mouth swabs.
This innovative approach has meant that between 80 and 90 per cent of people consent to be tested at arrival every week.
Sean Cox, Director of Prison Services, said: “This approach has been a great success in Birmingham. The Expectations Team is able to engage with new arrivals by sharing their experiences of prison life and, in some cases, hepatitis C treatment. The rise in the number of people now being tested at reception demonstrates the important role of lived experience when engaging with this population.”
Art on a Postcard Winter Auction raises £98,000
We are proud to announce that Art on a Postcard (AOAP)’s annual Winter Auction has raised £98K, rising to over £100K with the sale of frames. AOAP has had an exceptional year, beginning with the International Women’s Day Auction, which experienced a 2-hour queue just to get in the door. This was followed by a successful Summer Auction, supporting the important work of our helpline. In addition, there were lots of smaller, curated auctions and sales throughout the year.
In 2023, AOAP launched a range of greeting cards. This includes cards featuring artwork from our 2023 Winter Auction, as well as an innovative range of Christmas cards. The Christmas cards feature designs by many well-known artists, most of whom are making their greeting card debut. Proceeds from the cards will go to The Hepatitis C Trust and can also be bought wholesale.
Presenting our work on a global stage
In October, HCT staff attended the International Network on Health and Hepatitis in Substance Users (INHSU) conference in Geneva.
The conference featured hundreds of sessions and posters on hepatitis C, infectious diseases, harm reduction, drug policy and more.
In addition to four poster presentations, we had the opportunity to present our community and prison peer work on a global stage.
Julia Sheehan, National Women’s Criminal Justice Manager, spoke to an audience of around 400 people about the progress our programme has made since 2017.
Sean Cox, Director of Prison Services, presented our Prison to Community Follow Me service. This programme supports people as they move from prisons to the community, ensuring everyone who needs treatment can access it and complete it.
Julia and Sean were joined by Georgia Threadgold from NHS England and Jonathan Van Der Veen from HMPPS to lead a workshop exploring how prison peer models could be developed and run worldwide, drawing on lessons from our joint work in England. Our CEO, Rachel Halford, also co-chaired the conference’s Community Day which gave participants an opportunity to visit a safer injecting site, as well as a panel to discuss elimination progress, testing innovations, advanced liver disease management, and a World Hepatitis Alliance discussion.
Meanwhile, Dr Gabriele Vojt from Glasgow Caledonian University presented her research on the successes of our peer model and what makes it so effective.
European Testing Week parliamentary event
For European Testing Week (20-27 November), we organised an event in Parliament to bring people working on the frontline of hepatitis C and blood-borne virus care together with parliamentarians.
The event gave MPs the opportunity to learn about our work in their constituencies. Our staff also helped several MPs to take a rapid finger-prick test during the event, to demonstrate how simple testing can be.
Our thanks to the MPs who joined us there, including Maggie Throup, Jim Shannon, Paula Barker and Dame Nia Griffith.
New resource for South Asian Communities
We have developed a new booklet in Urdu and English to help support people from South Asian communities through their hepatitis C journey.
Having information available in Urdu helps us to educate even more people about hepatitis C and reduce stigma.
The booklet highlights the most common transmission routes for people from South Asian backgrounds, including medical or beauty treatment abroad.
Research suggests that people from South Asian communities are up to nine times more likely to be admitted to hospital with hepatitis C-related end-stage liver disease than the general population in the UK. We are committed to helping to find, test and support people from South Asian communities through their treatment.
MPs back amendment to speed up compensation for people affected by Infected Blood Scandal
On Monday night, MPs voted to speed up compensation for victims of the infected blood scandal.
The amendment to the Victims and Prisoners Bill requires ministers to set up a new body to deliver full compensation to victims within three months of the bill becoming law. Under the plans, a High Court judge will chair the body, taking into account speed, simplicity and fairness.
23 Conservatives voted against their own government last night to allow the amendment to pass by 246 to 242.
The legislation now needs to be approved by the House of Lords before becoming law.
The final report of the Infected Blood Inquiry is expected in March 2024. If you would like to receive updates on any new recommendations, and any government announcements about them, you can join our mailing list for updates on the blood support schemes, interim compensation and the final compensation scheme.
Prison team scoop Employer of the Year award
The Hepatitis C Trust has been named Health and Wellbeing Employer of the Year at the prestigious Inspire Justice Awards, delivered by Skills for Justice.
It’s a great testament to the innovation, commitment and enthusiasm that the team share.
Sean Cox, Director of Prison Services, said: “This is amazing! Everything we do is built on having fantastic, passionate and happy teams. We employ incredible people and always try to go that extra mile for our staff and volunteers – it means that they can go the extra mile for the people they support. It’s great to get the recognition for the hard work that we all do. Very, very proud.”