Con Lafferty Email & Phone Number

I am currently in a new position as a Gender Identity Healthcare Nurse Specialist. I am learning to assess and prescribe for gender incongruence. I support trans, non-binary and other people who are medically transitioning and those who are looking to do so. I am in the process of working alongside a medical professional to set up a sexual health service for this often marginalised group. I was previously a senior in blood-borne virus (BBV) prevention with the Lothian Harm Reduction Team. I managed a team of 7 BBV Prevention Workers and we created, developed, and delivered various outreach and clinical based services to the most at risk people who use drugs. That work was paramount at preventing the spread of BBVs, and meeting Government targets of eradicating Hepatitis-C as a Public Health concern by 2024 by improving access to testing and treatment. The team co-ordinated all injecting equipment provision (IEP) services within Lothian and trained and supported other services such as 3rd sector agencies and pharmacies to provide IEP. I was previously the Naloxone lead for Lothian and co-ordinated and managed the supply, as well as trained other trainers. Naloxone is a full opioid antagonist and is an essential tool in reducing the Drug Related Death (DRD) crisis in Scotland.I have led on the development of, and managed the Edinburgh Steroid Clinic to provide a Harm Reduction service that enhances engagement with image and performance enhancing drugs users. In partnership with NEO 360 and other healthboards, I have led on creating a Scottish national database for these clinics to use, so there is shared data for reporting patterns in blood results of specific anabolic steroids, with a vision of this shaping future Harm Reduction strategies for this client group.I have been the lead author on a publish paper regarding the Lothian injecting of new psychoactive substances endemic which can be found here: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0036933016649871I have also experience of tobacco education to primary school children, sexual health and in-patient mental health care.