Blood-Borne Viruses Awareness training
This training gives you the knowledge and confidence to protect yourself from blood-borne viruses and to support the health of people using our service. You will learn how HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are transmitted, how to work safely using standard precautions, and how our service prevents, tests for and treats these infections as part of our harm reduction work.
What This Training Covers
A clear, practical grounding in blood-borne viruses awareness.
This training gives you the knowledge and confidence to protect yourself from blood-borne viruses and to support the health of people using our service. You will learn how HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C are transmitted, how to work safely using standard precautions, and how our service prevents, tests for and treats these infections as part of our harm reduction work.
Learning Outcomes
By the end, your staff will be able to:
What Your Team Will Learn
A closer look at the blood-borne viruses awareness module.
The module is built in short, practical sections. Each one teaches a part of the topic, then applies it to a real care scenario and checks understanding before moving on.
What Are Blood-Borne Viruses and How Do They Spread
Blood-borne viruses are infections carried in blood that can pass from one person to another. The three we focus on are HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C. They spread mainly through blood to blood contact, such as sharing injecting equipment, and some can spread through sexual contact or from mother to baby. They do NOT spread through everyday contact like shaking hands, sharing cups, hugging or using the same toilet. Understanding this helps us work safely and without fear or judgement.
Standard Precautions and Personal Protective Equipment
Standard precautions mean treating all blood and body fluids as potentially infectious, every time, regardless of who the person is. This protects you and avoids making assumptions. Always wear gloves when you might touch blood, body fluids or used injecting equipment. Wear an apron if there is a risk of splashing onto your clothes. Wash your hands thoroughly after removing gloves. These simple steps are your main defence and must become automatic in your daily work.
Safe Handling and Disposal of Needles and Sharps
Never recap a needle. Never reach into bags, bins or pockets where there might be sharps. Always dispose of needles and other sharps immediately into the correct rigid sharps container. Do not overfill sharps bins; close and replace them when they reach the fill line. When collecting used equipment during outreach or home visits, stay alert and ask the person to show you where sharps are before you move anything. These rules prevent the majority of needlestick injuries.
What to Do After a Needlestick Injury or Blood Splash
If you get a needlestick injury, immediately encourage the wound to bleed by squeezing it gently under running water. Wash thoroughly with soap and water. Do not suck the wound. If blood splashes into your eyes or mouth, rinse immediately with plenty of water. Report the incident straight away to your manager or the on-call person. You must get to occupational health or the emergency department urgently because post exposure prophylaxis for HIV works best if started within one hour and must be started within 72 hours. Do not delay because you feel embarrassed or think it will be fine.
Hepatitis B Vaccination and Occupational Health
All staff who may be exposed to blood or used injecting equipment should be offered Hepatitis B vaccination by the service. This is your right and your protection. The vaccine is given as a course of three injections and is very effective. If you have not had it or are not sure, speak to your manager or occupational health. You should also know your own vaccination status and whether you need boosters. Protecting yourself means you can work confidently and safely for the long term.
Testing, Treatment and Harm Reduction in Our Service
Our service offers blood-borne virus testing as a routine part of assessment and care, using methods like dried blood spot tests and point of care testing that give quick results. We offer Hepatitis B vaccination to service users as well as staff. Hepatitis C is now curable with a short course of tablets, and we support people through testing, treatment and follow up to confirm the virus has cleared. We provide clean needles, syringes and injecting equipment to reduce transmission. All of this is part of harm reduction and public health. Your role is to talk openly and without judgement, to normalise testing and vaccination, and to encourage and support people to access treatment.
Key Points Covered
The things your team must remember.
- HIV, Hepatitis B and Hepatitis C spread through blood to blood contact, not through everyday social contact or care work
- Always use standard precautions: treat all blood as potentially infectious and wear gloves and aprons when there is any risk of contact
- Never recap needles, never reach into bags or bins blindly, and dispose of sharps immediately into the correct container
- If you get a needlestick injury or blood splash, wash immediately, report straight away and seek urgent medical assessment for possible post exposure prophylaxis
- All staff at risk should have Hepatitis B vaccination; speak to your manager or occupational health if you are unsure of your status
- Our service prevents, tests for and treats blood-borne viruses as core harm reduction work; your role is to talk openly, reduce stigma and support people to access testing, vaccination and treatment
Who and how often
Blood-Borne Viruses Awareness is refreshed every year, for the staff in your care setting whose roles require it.
CQC and standards
Supports the training evidence CQC expects to see for a well-run, safe care setting.
How CareStream Delivers It
Not a slideshow once a year. Training that sticks.
CareStream delivers blood-borne viruses awareness training in the hub your team already uses, grounded in best practice and your own policies, so it fits your care setting and not a generic template.
Teach, then assess
Short teaching sections and a real care scenario, then an assessment that checks understanding.
In any language
Staff complete it in over 60 languages, while your records stay in English.
Learn and retry
A wrong answer triggers a short follow-up lesson and a fresh question, so the gap is closed.
Renewals handled
Automatic reminders at 90, 30 and 7 days, with a live compliance dashboard.
FAQs
Frequently asked questions.
Give your team blood-borne viruses awareness training that actually sticks.
See how CareStream delivers your mandatory training in the hub, in any language.