Guidance on blood borne viruses (BBVs) provided by the UK Health and Safety Executive is considered outdated. Treatments now make most people living with HIV and many with Hepatitis completely uninfectious. Many organisations are therefore using safety policies that have not yet caught up with current evidence. An audit of five diverse workplaces and institutions’ health and safety policies across Bristol enabled the team to identify strengths and gaps in the way bloodborne virus risk is approached in these documents; making recommendations for future best practice.

With improved BBV risk documentation including both policy and procedures in place, unnecessary and ineffective precautions can be reduced, unwarranted fear of infection can be minimized, and people with lived experience of BBVs will experience less stigma and discrimination in day-to-day life.

Designed on the principles of action research, the study recruited co-researchers with lived experience of BBV, and an Advisory Group made up of members from local and national organisations with clinical and policy expertise in the BBV field.

“I appreciate how far this is from my normal work and everyday life. Because of how this project was set up, I was able to be involved, and take all this knowledge that I have and don’t get to use.” – Co-Researcher

Co-researchers met regularly to undertake detailed reviews of partner organisations’ health and safety documents/procedures relating to BBV transmission risk. This work included looking at wording and assumptions within documents and making recommendations for improvements.

​​​​​​​“It’s about identity. I get to meet others with the same condition as part of the work. We can share stories that are meaningful to one another. There is recognition, and in the recognition there is healing.” – Co-Researcher

CARA included costs to reimburse partner organisations for their staff time, and to co-plan a policy advocacy and sharing event to ensure outputs gained traction with local and national stakeholders. The project has been enthusiastically supported by the National Aids Trust (NAT), who aim to use learning to advance national advocacy in this key policy area.

Locally, organisations from across Bristol agreed to take part in the audit process. These included an educational and research institution; an emergency service; a community arts organisation; a sports team; a charity supporting people at risk of homelessness. The team also hoped to include a piercing, beauty or tattooing business and a boxing club, but this proved to be a challenge beyond the scope and timeline of this project.

The project has helped strengthen future partnership for continued work in this area. This includes running an upcoming intervention to support tattoo artists to better understand and prevent BBV transmission.

Catherine Dodds has spent her research career working in co-produced research, and knows that for projects like this, where lived experience and expertise is key, it’s important to challenge traditional hierarchies in research dynamics – including her own privilege in accessing University resources.

“My own experience of personal family history with BBVs has always informed my approach as a researcher and as a community activist. It helps me to hold back my assumptions about who may carry wisdom and knowledge that will enrich our understandings and improve our social worlds.”​​​​​​​​​​​​ - Lead Researcher

• Community researchers bringing lived experience to the project
• Co-development of audit methodology
• Small scale with potential to significantly impact the national agenda

• When hiring co-researchers with specific knowledge or experience grounded in the subject of research, work closely with HR to develop your job description, which needs to be specific about lived experience, whilst not discriminatory

• Recruiting organisations to be involved in projects can be very time-consuming. Some of those approached may not end up being involved but can still initiate useful discussions and reflections.