Hepatitis C in prisons: improving awareness, detection and treatment amongst Gypsy, Romany and Traveller (GRT) offenders

There are around 90,000 people within England with the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV). Some populations are of higher risk of HCV, including people who were born in endemic countries, people who inject drugs, and those who are in custody.

Members of the GRT communities are overrepresented in the prison system, and sometimes even not likely to identify themselves as GRT within the prisons. These populations can therefore be difficult to access, and it is hard to know what their needs are to ensure they are able to access the testing and treatment they might require.

There is some research to indicate that NHS England and NHS Improvement must better meet the health and social care needs of GRT offenders as they are potentially at a higher risk of HCV and are less likely to engage with some health services. However, more research is needed to understand the barriers GRT populations face in prison accessing HCV testing and treatment.

This contract requires an organisation to design and test Hepatitis C materials - specifically targeted at GRT populations - with GRT individuals. This should be done through at least 20 semi-structured interviews with current offenders who are GRT within English prisons.

There should also be the development of GRT peer mentors to increase the understanding of GRT communities, which in turn will increase testing and treatment numbers amongst these communities. There should be at least 8 peer mentors trained for this. The peers must have high levels of knowledge and understanding of HCV, and must be currently in prison and from the GRT community, and have lived experience of HCV testing/treatment.

There should also be the creation of a bespoke video resource which will show a member(s) of the GRT community being tested for HCV for dissemination amongst GRT communities. Alongside this should be a communications and engagement campaign targeted at GRT populations around HCV, which will increase testing and treatment numbers. This should all be conducted with lived experience input at the centre.

Research must be conducted within English prisons, and so working with Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) research arm will be central.