Developing blood borne virus services across prisons in Wales, UK

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Infectious Disease Control
• Prison Healthcare

Background:

• The Welsh Government's Blood Borne Viral Hepatitis Action Plan identified the need for enhanced BBV services in prisons.
• Prisons present unique challenges for managing and preventing BBV transmission.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline strategies for establishing comprehensive blood borne virus (BBV) services within the Welsh prison system.
• To align prison-based BBV services with national public health action plans.

Main Methods:

• Formation of a multidisciplinary task and finish group involving healthcare and custody staff.
• Development of a service improvement package focused on awareness and clinical service enhancement.
• Implementation of training programs for healthcare staff and an e-learning module for custody staff.

Main Results:

• Prison healthcare staff trained in BBV management, including testing and referral pathways.
• Establishment of care pathways linking prison-based services with community specialists.
• Roll-out of an e-learning module for custody staff and distribution of liver health literature to prisoners.

Conclusions:

• BBV services are intended to become an integrated component of routine prison healthcare in Wales.
• Ongoing data collection will evaluate the impact of these new initiatives.
• Successful implementation is expected to contribute to reducing BBV prevalence in both custodial settings and the general population.