HEPATITIS C
EMPOWERING CHANGE THROUGH COLLABORATION :
The Gilead Drug Treatment Service Hepatitis C Provider Forum
Competing providers have partnered to change industry standards and drive best practice in the global race to eliminate hepatitis C ( HCV )
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n 2016 , the World Health Organization set out its roadmap to eliminate viral hepatitis as a public health threat by 2030 . 1 In 2019 , NHS England set a more ambitious target of 2025 for HCV elimination and since then , the NHS , industry partners , the third sector and patient organisations have come together to become one of the first countries in the world to achieve this goal . 2
One such collaboration is the Gilead Drug Treatment Service HCV Provider Forum , a partnership hosted by Gilead Sciences with NHS England , The Hepatitis C Trust , and drug and alcohol service providers Change Grow Live , Humankind , Turning Point , Via , WithYou and Hep C U Later , an initiative of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance ( NHS APA ). HCV in England disproportionately affects individuals who are currently or have historically injected drugs ; working with these providers is vital to achieve elimination . 3
‘ While Gilead initially worked individually with drug service providers as one of our commitments under NHS England ’ s HCV Strategic Procurement , the pandemic changed everything , says William McCully of Gilead Sciences . ‘ Face to face services drastically decreased and ways of working changed which led to HCV testing being significantly reduced due to COVID restrictions . We acted with great agility and reached out to our partners to try to bring everyone together to share best practice and find new ways to test for bloodborne viruses .’
‘ Partnership in this way was unknown territory because ultimately , in our day-to-day
business , we are competitors bidding for drug and alcohol services ,’ says Tracey Kemp of Change Grow Live . However , we all came together with the commitment of a shared goal of HCV elimination and we ’ ve had some amazing successes that have made a meaningful difference for our service users .’
Within just a few months , the Provider Forum identified innovative ways to test service users in lockdown , coordinated national testing campaigns and worked closely with the NHS and other organisations to support persons who tested positive for chronic HCV into treatment , even with the redeployment of hepatology clinicians to COVID wards .
‘ The devastating impact of COVID-19 on the NHS and our drug services meant England ’ s 2025 HCV elimination ambition was at risk . However , thanks to the incredible joint efforts of all our partners , by the end of 2021 , HCV testing rates exceeded pre-pandemic levels ,’ says Deborah Moores of Humankind . ‘ We continue to break records each year for testing through our coordinated campaigns for World Hepatitis Day and European Testing Weeks .’
Testing alone won ’ t get England to elimination and since its formation , the scope of the Provider Forum has expanded to drive patient-centric treatment pathways , better data reporting , and sustainability in HCV initiatives . The Forum continues to meet regularly to leverage their shared knowledge and expertise to innovate and set industry standards to ensure HCV is a sector-wide priority . This includes minimum service standards for bloodborne viruses that could support commissioning approaches , the creation of micro-elimination criteria to determine if a drug service has tested as many at-risk service users as possible and linked nearly all their HCV + clients to NHS-provided treatment and the development of models of care for drug services seeking to lead on HCV assessment and treatment for their own service users .
This expanded focus on linkage to care and treatment has changed the way the sector works and is where The Hepatitis C Trust plays a key role . ‘ Our service users can possibly feel diminished going into hospitals where nurses and clinical staff may notice that the person may have substance use issues , where they can be stigmatised , or often feel stigmatised even if they are not ,’ says Stuart Smith of The Hepatitis C Trust . Hepatitis C Trust peers have lived experience with substance use and hepatitis C , offering unparalleled insights and support for service users and other individuals for whom
14 • DRINK AND DRUGS NEWS • MARCH 2024 WWW . DRINKANDDRUGSNEWS . COM