The WHO Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations outline a public health response for five key populations (men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, sex workers, people who inject drugs and people in prisons and other closed settings). They present and discuss new recommendations and consolidate a range of recommendations and guidance from current WHO guidelines.
Good practice case study: Lancashire & South Cumbria mobile hepatitis C pathway
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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. A ‘whole system’ approach was adopted, meaning those accessing the clinical van could access testing, liver health assessments, treatment initiation, medication delivery and confirmation of treatment completion (SVR12). A hepatitis C care appointment attendance rate of less than 40% in CGL services pre-pandemic was increased to a 79% attendance rate for appointments with the clinical van. The outreach increased engagement with treatment among a group traditionally less likely to access services.
