Summary

Gilead worked with the NHS and charity Change Grow Live (CGL) to improve testing treatment for Hep C patients in drug treatment services. The project resulted in a 36% increase in Hep C testing, a 45% increase in referrals, and reduced phlebotomy waiting times.

Project outline and outcome

Hepatitis C (HCV) is a blood borne virus (BBV) which infects the liver. Chronic infection can lead to cirrhosis, liver failure and even cancer.

Around 95% of patient can be cured if antiviral medicines are delivered in a timely manner, by the end of 2021, around 92,900 people were estimated to be living with Hep C, a fall of 26,000 since 2019.

Injecting drug use is the most important risk factor for HCV infection in the UK, and injecting drug users are frequently chaotic and do not access routine care. A fragmentation of health services following the Health and Social Care Act in 2012 led to significant fragmentation of services and resulted in people with Hepatitis C infection being left behind.

HCV treatments are targeted to individuals in some of the most deprived parts of the country, with 50% of HCV treatments being issued to the most deprived 30% of the population.

Working in partnership with providers of Addiction Services and Prison Healthcare, Gilead Sciences supported system change to ensure that eligible HCV patients were receiving the care they deserve.

Since May 2019, this cross-sector partnership has collectively achieved:

Better for Patients

• 11,746 people with HCV started treatment
• 308,200 HCV tests performed in DTS and prisons

Better for NHS

• Established Gilead DTS Providers Forum to collaborate and act in unison across all clients
• Improved data integrity and flow across the pathway and expanded access across stakeholders
• Developed and implemented Micro-elimination criteria across DTS and prisons

UK-UNB-4635