Resources

Amid service closures and disruption due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Lancashire & South Cumbria ODN, CGL and The Hepatitis C Trust developed and delivered a clinical van-based hepatitis C care pathway. The project involved clinical vans attending hostels and hotels accommodating the homeless population during the pandemic and making appointments for the van to be taken to individual patients at locations convenient to them.

This report from Public Health England reveals that there were 1,193 confirmed laboratory reports of hepatitis C in England and Wales between April-June 2020. There was a 69.7% decrease in the number of reports compared to the second quarter of 2019, which the report's authors state is likely due to the impact of Covid-19 on health services.

Outreach hepatitis C care, including ‘pop-up’ clinics and the use of testing vans, is a crucial aspect of the hepatitis C elimination programme. Such outreach work, which does not rely on static services to deliver care, can be an important way to reach people who are the most under-served by these services.

Outreach hepatitis C care, including ‘pop-up’ clinics, as well as the use of testing vans, is a crucial aspect of the hepatitis C elimination programme. Such outreach work, which does not rely on static services to deliver care, can be an important way to reach people who are the most under-served by these services. This webinar covered the importance of outreach, as well as specific good practice examples, such as van-based outreach work, pop-up testing during the Covid-19 pandemic and Point of Care Test and Treat outreach in the West Midlands.