MEANINGFUL ENGAGEMENT

It also helped to improve service delivery , she stressed . ‘ Speaking to those who know best

what they need , what ’ s worked well and where there are shortcomings is a far faster route to better service provision than anything else .’ It was vital to direct scarce resources to the right places , she pointed out . ‘ The level of need is only likely to go one way , and that ’ s up . So we have to ensure those resources are going to what works and what matters . It ’ s not only the right thing to do , it makes a difference – so my ultimate question is why would you not do it ?’

While it was rare in the field to meet anyone who didn ’ t agree with doing it , at the same time it ‘ hadn ’ t significantly grown since the days of the NTA ’, she said . ‘ I want to hear about the practical things we can do to support it to flourish and become more meaningful throughout the sector .’

BE THE CHANGE All recruitment processes at Change Grow Live included a service user panel , up to and including the most senior positions , she told delegates . ‘ It isn ’ t lip service . If our service user panel says they ’ re not right for us , then they ’ re not right for us . And I ’ m really proud of that .’

The organisation also supported people to move into its employment , with strong training and volunteering pathways , and staff surveys suggested more than 40 per cent of the workforce had lived experience , she said . ‘ We all know that overdose is the leading cause of preventable death for opiate users , and we all know that half of those who die have never been in treatment . Peer activism helps us get life-saving treatment , support and harm reduction advice into the hands of the people most at risk . It changes minds , and it changes lives .’ Challenges remained , however . ‘ Everyone wants to do this and believes in it , but everyone ’ s really busy . So we often find that without that

passionate local champion it doesn ’ t reach the top of the list .’ There were also criticisms that voices were not representative enough . ‘ I hear that , but it shouldn ’ t be an excuse for doing nothing ,’ she said . ‘ We have to start somewhere , and only by showing the difference that can be made can we encourage the other voices to get involved .’ It was also essential to harness the experience of the people not in treatment , she stressed . ‘ I don ’ t believe they don ’ t know where we are . I do believe they ’ re making legitimate choices to not come through our doors , and I ’ m really interested in hearing the reasons why . So we can do something about it .’ But it was also vital to celebrate more , she told the conference . ‘ All of the changemaking activities that are happening are an inspiration , and I still don ’ t know the half of it . So we need to tell the stories , we need to share the practice , we need to work as one and we need to be open and honest with each other about where we ’ re struggling . And we need to be ambitious and relentless .’

been in this field for a long time and I know all about the percentage testing rates , the increasing – but still not perfect – levels of treatment delivered , but something that ’ s missing is information about what happens when you get hep C . In the drug-using community nobody says , “ This will knock 20 years off my life ” or “ I ’ ll probably die of this .” There was always very little information about the consequences of hep C .’ Alex Boyt

‘ COULD THERE BE OUTREACH TO HEP C POSITIVE PATIENTS who are not engaging with community services when they are admitted to hospital ? Lots of patients know they are hep C positive and untreated – could they be started on medication whilst admitted ?’ Delegate

‘ LANCASHIRE HAS ACHIEVED MICRO-ELIMINATION . We work closely with the Hep C Trust and they do pop-up testing in our

drop-in hub regularly – it works well in our area .’ Delegate

‘ WE NEED AN INTEGRATED PRIMARY HEALTHCARE OFFER or service . User apathy will remain low and self-loathing high as long as they face stigma in accessing healthcare in other areas . We ’ re asking service users to care about HCV but wound care , lung health , mental health and overdose risk “ aren ’ t important ”.’ Delegate

‘ THE CAMPAIGN HAS BEEN RUMBLING ON . It has lost a sense of urgency and a realistic deadline .’ Delegate

‘ WE HAVE TESTING AT DRUG AND ALCOHOL SERVICES – optional , but rewarded with a £ 10 Tesco voucher . Why not be tested by the GP at annual review ? There ’ s not enough awareness of what hep C is and how it affects people .’ Delegate