The harm reduction team picked up the Chair Award at the fifth staff awards ceremony, which was held virtually via Microsoft Teams.
The team is made up of only nine members of staff and leads on harm reduction work across Lanarkshire that provides injecting equipment to people who inject drugs, naloxone (overdose prevention), blood borne virus (BBV) testing and wound care. The team is funded by the BBV Network and is pivotal to delivering the key aims of the Lanarkshire BBV Network prevention strategy, including preventing HIV and hepatitis, testing those at risk and supporting people into treatment. The work also plays a critical role in supporting the delivery of the Lanarkshire drug related harms action plan.
Team member Ross Miller said: “We’d like to thank everyone for this amazing award. We would like to share this award not only with each other but with the people we see and remind them that they are not alone.
“Most of our referrals are not generated courtesy of a treatment pathway and are predominantly self-referrals. Therefore, we get more people coming to us because they have heard about us through someone else, which is a testament to the strong relationship we offer and have with the community.
“We perform diverse roles in often very challenging circumstances but engaging with people who find difficulty in accessing mainstream services.
The team works in partnership with numerous services including third sector agencies, homeless services, criminal justice, social work, drug and alcohol, sexual health and Keep Well. They also provide training and, in addition, offer ongoing support to staff and service users.
Marie Hynds, who also works in the team, said: “Due to the comprehensive overdose training of staff and residents of homeless accommodation within Lanarkshire, a number of lives have been saved by staff administering naloxone.
“The staff here are dedicated and value the relationships they have with people accessing the service. We are truly privileged to provide a service which ultimately reduces harm and saves lives.
“Thank you so much for this award.”
