A pioneering Hepatitis C improvement project has won at the NHS Wales Awards 2024
25/11/2024
The health care team behind the micro-elimination of Hepatitis C at HMP Berwyn, the UK’s largest prison, has won the NHS Wales Team Culture Award.
The awards were presented at the NHS Wales Award ceremony in Cardiff attended by finalists from across Wales.
The improvement project was a joint initiative between Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCUHB), Public Health Wales and the charity Hepatitis C Trust, which offered 100% of prisoners a test, 90% of men were tested, and 90% of those diagnosed with hepatitis C started treatment.
This is known as micro-elimination, meaning that within a particular environment, in this case HMP Berwyn, certain requirements for hepatitis C testing and treatment have been reached.
Anya Hughes, Blood Borne Virus Nurse, said: “It’s been a huge honour to have taken part in this project. We had to come up with several different pathways for patients that needed testing and treatment, as the standard pathway did not suit this group of patients.
“The stigma has been completely broken down and they became happy to approach me to ask for tests in front of their friends on the wings and encouraged others to be tested.
“With HMP Berwyn being the biggest prison in the UK we have many new arrivals here who get screened but would never have had a test previously, and may have had a blood borne virus which they would never have known about. So, coming to HMP Berwyn and getting tested and treated, may have potentially saved their lives and it has massively decreased transmission.”
The team within HMP Berwyn was made up of a blood borne virus nurse, prescribing pharmacists and Hepatitis C Trust peers, and also involved prisoner peers. The prison has managed to achieve and maintain micro-elimination for the past 14 months.
Anya also won the Rising Star Award at the Health Board’s 2024 Staff Achievement Awards for the immediate impact she has made with the project, not only on her patients but within her area of work and on her colleagues too.
Following the awards, Judith Paget Director General for Health, Social Care and Early Years and the NHS Wales Chief Executive, said: “Congratulations to the winners but also to everyone who has been shortlisted for an award. The NHS Wales Awards are one of the highlights of my year. I take great pride in seeing the breadth of quality improvement projects underway across NHS Wales to transform our services for those that we care for. I hope that you are all deservedly proud of your achievements in these challenging times.”
The NHS Wales Awards celebrate quality improvement work that has transformed the experience and outcomes for people in Wales and provides and showcases the talented health and care staff working together to improve services and patient care across Wales.