Brigstowe and The Peer Partnership

Who we are

Brigstowe’s vision is a world in which people living with HIV and other long-term health conditions or protected characteristics live long and healthy lives, free from poverty, stigma, prejudice and discrimination. We support people living with or affected by HIV through our comprehensive and holistic range of services, including advice and support, peer support, a specialist migrant and refugee service, and a specialist outreach service for African and Caribbean heritage communities. We work with people in Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

The Peer Partnership is an extension of the successful work achieved by Brigstowe in providing peer support for people newly diagnosed or struggling with HIV. We have developed a peer support model that can be applied to other long-term health conditions and protected characteristics and is applicable UK-wide in the non-profit, public, education and healthcare sectors. We provide consultancy support for organisations that would like to develop their services to include effective peer support programmes. We also deliver best practice workshops in the non-profit sector to train professionals in providing high-quality support to their service users.

Our culture and values

Brigstowe is committed to developing an organisational culture where everyone feels responsible for and contributes in a positive way to the progress of equal opportunities, a culture that respects and values each other’s differences, that promotes dignity, equity, diversity and inclusion, and that encourages individuals to develop and maximise their true potential.

Our values are to be non-judgmental; regard people as individuals with abilities and not disabilities; respect and protect people’s right to choose if and when to disclose information about themselves; support people to use their strengths and overcome their weaknesses; and involve clients in the design, delivery and development of relevant, high-quality services.

We believe that everyone has the right to live without fear or prejudice regardless of characteristics including HIV status. We are committed to driving change beyond our own organisation, whilst always ensuring that our beneficiaries remain at the heart of our thinking and decision-making.

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

Brigstowe is committed to promoting equity, diversity and inclusion in all its activities including its services, recruitment, employment, volunteers, Board of Trustees, work with consultants, contractors and agents, and approaches to development and monitoring. We aim to remove any barriers, bias or discrimination that prevent individuals or groups from realising their potential and contributing fully to our organisation’s performance and to develop an organisational culture that positively values diversity.

All forms of discrimination are unacceptable, regardless of whether there was any intention to discriminate or not.  Employees, trustees and volunteers have a duty to cooperate with Brigstowe to ensure equal opportunities and prevent discrimination.