A Recovery Worker working with the Hampshire Inclusion team, a service providing support and treatment to individuals affected by alcohol or drug issues, has been named ILLY Practitioner of the Year 2019, an award which acknowledges and celebrates the outstanding and inspiring contribution practitioners make to changing the lives of individuals and families affected by substance misuse.

Piers Anning has been instrumental in helping the team achieve the virtual elimination of Hepatitis C amongst people affected by drug and alcohol misuse in Andover.  He undertook specialist training and worked hard to engage and motivate people to be tested and then treated.

Piers also identified that people were not attending their hospital appointments and helped obtain funding to run an outreach clinic in Andover, building exceptional links with the local community.

Hep C Hants Peer 2 Peer coordinator Louise Hanford who nominated Piers said “Piers has been responsive to clients’ needs and has been instrumental in implementing changes across Eastleigh, Andover and now Winchester.  He has worked hard to engage resistant clients, showing perseverance as well as emotional resilience”.

Presenting the award, David Clarke from Illy Systems Ltd said, “It was a difficult decision, but Pier stood out from the crowd by demonstrating: successful team working, innovative client work, and making a real, positive impact in the wider community”.