We are very pleased to announce that we have achieved micro-elimination of hepatitis C.
What is micro-elimination?
Hepatitis C (hep C) is one of the most common blood borne viruses in the country. With the right testing and treatment, most people with hep C can be cured with few or no side effects.
When we say an area has micro-eliminated hepatitis C, that means it has reached these targets:
- 100% of people using the service have been offered a hepatitis C test.
- 90% of these people have then been tested.
- 75% of people who were diagnosed with hepatitis C have started treatment.
These targets were set by NHS England as part of their target to eliminate hepatitis C as a major public health concern.
Thanks to a lot of hard work from the whole team, the service has been able to hit these targets and micro eliminate hepatitis C.
The service re-engaged a lot of long-term hep C clients who had fallen through the net by being patient, adaptable, and meeting them at a level they are able to cope with alongside everything else going on in their lives.
Staff worked with colleagues from the Hepatitis C Trust, Warrington Hospital and the Royal Liverpool Hospital to make sure people had the support they needed. They delivered medication weekly to people’s homes, offered fortnightly collections from community settings, and checked in constantly to make sure everything was going well. Charis Kelly, substance misuse nurse said:
We understand that our clients are going to forget appointments and will sometimes get confused with medication. Sometimes daily text reminders have been used 7 days a week. We have never given up trying for every one of our clients, even when they are no longer in service with us, we have continued to support them with their treatment journey.”
The service’s hard work has paid off with the milestone of micro-elimination, and the feedback from people who have received treatment has been extremely positive:
“It makes a nice change to be treated as a human being”
“Didn’t realise how much it was affecting me until it was taken away, feel like a new man, thank you for not giving up on me”
“I felt dirty and was scared to touch my grandchildren in case I infected them with it. The treatment was easy and has changed my life, I wish I had done it years ago”
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