At a glance
- Hepatitis C Trust
- Employer
- £30,000 pro rata for p/t
- Salary
- 13/11/2026
- Closing date
- Fixed term (12 months)
- Contract
- 37.5 hours per week
- Hours
ABOUT THE HEPATITIS C TRUST
The Hepatitis C Trust (HCT) is a national charity and has been operating since 2001. We provide information, advocacy, services and individual support, working with prisons and health systems across the UK to increase awareness, diagnosis, treatment and care.
Established in 2000, we are a patient-led and patient-run organisation and a key part of the UK’s strategy to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health problem by 2030.
Our work is underpinned by equitable and accessible harm reduction services in order to maintain a reduction in hepatitis C transmission.
The Hepatitis C Trust is committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and the wellbeing of our staff. We welcome applications from all sections of the community. We are a signatory of the Race at Work Charter.
We are a Living Wage employer.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Working with the guidance of the Project Manager and in partnership with the London Joint Working Group, local substance use services, the Harm Reduction Peer Coordinator will develop and support the implementation and delivery of a peer led needle and syringe program (NSP) across the borough of Hackney at the Hackney Harm Reduction Hub (HHRH).
This will include supporting and delivering the service and developing relationships and partnership working with local statutory and voluntary service providers who provide support and care for our potential client group.
With a view to enhancing harm reduction provision across the area, the Female Harm Reduction Peer Coordinator will continue to develop and coordinate the delivery of secondary NSP provision, naloxone distribution and educational workshops to communities where women are in need such as BAME communities, LGBTQI and people who suffer domestic and gender based violence.
There will also be occasional out of hours outreach from the mobile van to support sex working communities and support vulnerable clients. The LJWG and HCT always offer support in outreach environments. Working in pairs on all possible occasions,and providing Lone Worker policies.
The role is only open to women, in accordance with the sex-based exemptions of the Equality Act 2010 pursuant to Schedule 9, Part 1.
We guarantee an interview to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria. We are happy to discuss flexible working for this role. Activity and data reporting are also a key element of the role.
The Harm Reduction Peer Support Lead duties will include:
- Peer education: supporting, developing and coordinating a network of peers that will reach into communities of people who use drugs across the borough of Hackney, deliver NSP, and provide core messages about harm reduction, Naloxone accessibility and provision, and BBV prevention, testing and access to subsequent treatment and care.
- Service Delivery: supporting the development and running of the service.
- Buddy scheme: developing and coordinating a network of buddies to provide NSP, Naloxone and Harm Reduction provision.
- Hepatitis C Testing: promoting and facilitate increased testing for hepatitis C, targeting marginalised and disadvantaged communities, including sex workers, BAME communities,
- ensuring referral and supporting access to treatment clinics.
Project Overview
The Hepatitis C Trust (HCT) has developed interventions nationally whereby peers (volunteers) use their lived experience of injecting drug use and hepatitis C, to provide education and training to people who access services and staff in drug services, increasing hepatitis C and harm reduction awareness.
Peers promote and deliver blood borne virus (BBV) testing, deliver secondary needle and syringe provision (NSP), support patients along care pathways, and liaise with local outreach clinics and BBV secondary care leads in hospitals. To ensure continuity of high-quality care for people who use drugs, need harm reduction support and are living with hepatitis C.
MAIN RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE ROLE
Service Coordination
- To co-ordinate and be responsible for the day-to-day, operational activities of the female peer based harm reduction service.
- Take responsibility for training and NSP activities within the area alongside contracted SMS providers.
- To network widely with relevant external agencies, SMS providers, pharmacies and other multi-agency networks to raise awareness of the service and prompt improved responses to the specific needs of its service users.
- To ensure close and effective partnership working with clinical teams across the borough, with the aim of ensuring seamless provision of injecting equipment, Harm rduction information, BBV testing, treatment and care for its service users.
- To develop expertise in and act as a source of specialist advice to both statutory and voluntary sector organisations working with people who inject drugs in particular those within the substance misuse field.
- To oversee and implement all administrative, recording and monitoring systems for the service and ensuring that they are in line with HCT’s internal policies and procedures
- Work with the Hepatitis Operational Delivery Network to ensure that HCV care pathways are fit for purpose and provide updates on project progress as requested.
Peer Support
- Maintain regular contact with all peers to ensure their well-being and address any arising issues of the individual peers/buddies.
- Develop and maintain relations with local substance misuse and hostel providers.
- Liaise with support providers to coordinate Harm Reduction workshops, and BBV talk and test sessions.
- Liaise with outreach clinics to coordinate direct referrals made by the peers when they identify HCV+’s in the community.
- Provide monthly progress reports and identify where additional support / training may be required.
- Support the building of a network of peers to support both media campaigns and the work of the Policy and Parliamentary team.
- Maintain regular contact with individual organisational volunteer leads to ensure that all peers and buddies receive regular on site supervision and support
- Work collaboratively with The Hepatitis C Trust’s staff team to ensure the successful delivery of our harm reduction services nationwide.
Administration
- Provide full and comprehensive administrative and logistical support to the harm reduction service.
- Ensure that all administrative work involved in organising and delivering the service and any peer activities are complete
- Monitor and record data collected following dispensing of equipment and any additional peer led activities
- Build external links and alliances in support of HCT’s peer programmes, specifically with services who work with people affected by substance misuse
- Work with HCT’s Patient Council Group and to facilitate patient input in order to ensure that the viewpoints and experiences of patients inform HCT’s policy platform.
- Establish and maintain contacts with key professionals within relevant statutory and voluntary sector agencies.
- Attend regular team meetings.
- Establish and maintain good working relationships with other members of HCT’s staff team.
- Organise and attend external meetings as appropriate actively participating and disseminating peer 2 peer information to colleagues.
Information Management
- Produce reports and evaluations in consultation with other HCT/HCV staff members on all project work carried out and as requested.
- Ensure all documentation is kept in accordance with agreed administrative systems.
- To participate in the maintaining of information on relevant referral agencies and contact telephone numbers.
Personal/Professional Development and Training
- To attend and prepare for regular line management meetings.
- To participate in annual appraisals in accordance with HCT policy.
- To attend regular clinical supervision for peer work.
- To continue to develop skills, expertise and knowledge in the management of staff and services.
- To continue to develop information and communication technology (ICT) skills.
- To maintain an up to date knowledge and awareness of developments in public policy and legislation regarding hepatitis C and related subjects by attending relevant training courses, regional and national meetings and conferences.
- The post holder must at all times carry out duties and responsibilities with due regard to THCT’s equal opportunities policies and procedures.
- The post holder must ensure that personal information for peers, members of staff and all other individuals is accurate, up-to-date, kept secure and confidential at all times in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR) and the common law duty of confidentiality.
- The post holder is expected to take responsibility for self-development on a continuous basis, undertaking on-the-job and other training as required.
- The post holder is required to familiarise themselves with and comply with HCT policies and procedures.
- The post holder must be aware of individual responsibilities under the Health and Safety at Work Act and identify and report as necessary any untoward accident, incident potentially hazardous environment.
- The post holder will be subject to checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and security clearance by individual prisons.
CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
Education
- NVQ 3 or equivalent professional qualification in social care, IAG or other related fields or comparable experience (essential).
Skills & Abilities
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to liaise effectively with senior managers in external organisations (essential).
- Ability to provide effective leadership to a small team of peers and staff (essential).
- Ability to work effectively on your own initiative, with minimal direct supervision (essential).
- Excellent organisational and administrative skills (essential).
- Ability to develop and maintain effective working relationships with external agencies at a strategic level (essential).
- IT skills (including basic word processing) (essential).
- A full, clean driving licence (desirable).
Experience
- 2 years’ experience of supporting vulnerable people with a range of complex needs (essential).
- Good knowledge of NSP and Harm reduction (desirable).
- Personal experience of hepatitis C (desirable).
- Personal experience of substance use (desirable).
- Experience of managing or supervising volunteers (essential).
- Experience of producing reports or evaluations for funders or key stakeholders (desirable).
- Experience of working collaboratively with external agencies or partner organisations at a strategic level (desirable).
- Experience of delivering training and group-based programmes (essential).
- Experience of working with people with Substance use issues (essential).
- Experience of delivering needle and syringe provision (desirable).
Knowledge
- Knowledge of the hepatitis C and its impact (essential).
- Knowledge of substance misuse harm reduction guidance and ethos (essential).
- Thorough understanding of confidentiality issues (essential).
- Understanding of issues of diversity and the principles of equal opportunities, as they relate to both staff management and service provision (essential).
- Extensive knowledge of monitoring and evaluation within a service delivery context (essential).
APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS
TO APPLY, PLEASE UPLOAD YOUR (up-to-date) CV AFTER CAREFUL REVIEW, YOU WILL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLETE AN APPLICATION FORM TO INCLUDE EXAMPLES OF HOW YOU MEET EACH OF THE ESSENTIALS AND DESIRABLE CRITERIA ON THE PERSON SPECIFICATION.
PLEASE ENSURE THAT YOUR CV CONTAINS THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION
- Personal Profile (Ensure this section is tailored to the specific role you are applying for).
- Employment History (List in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent role).
- Education, Training, and Qualifications (List in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent, and including secondary school education).
Salary: £30,000 (pro rata for part time) – plus travel contributions and other benefits
Contract: 12-month fixed term contract (with possible extension)
Location: North East London (Mainly Hackney & City of London)
Hours: Part Time / Full Time considered – 25 days’ annual leave + additional Christmas leave (pro rata for part time applicants)