Near Patient Testing for Hep C Using Xpert® HCV VL Fingerstick

Suman Verma: “So as we all know, there is the WHO goal of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030 and nationally, NHS have put forward a date of 2025. Now in order to do that, you've got to target those groups that are high at risk and we know that 90% of new cases of hepatitis C are in patients who inject drugs.

Archie Christian: “I was living with hepatitis C previously and I was fortunate enough to be able to, with support, get help. How I became infected was I was an injectable user for nearly 15 years so quite chaotic quite a lot of complex needs.

Rachel Halford: “These are groups of people who they leave really chaotic lifestyles, you know if you're using drugs kind of part part and parcel of the lifestyle is that you're going to get hepatitis C. It's just the norm.

Archie Christian: “There is an internal thinking of being a burden on society and may not always be true that they've been treated in that way but they certainly feel at times that they're out of place.”

Suman Verma: “And this group of patients, we do know, is that they do engage fully and regularly with the community pharmacies where they get their needles.”

Dee Cunifee: “We did a report for phase 1 which has been extremely well-publicized, and we certainly did a lot of learning from it, but now we have done Phase 2 where we use the GeneXpert® and you can do the RNA test and get a result within under an hour.”

Rachel Halford: “So with pharmacies, you've got a window of opportunity to access people who are coming in to pick up their needles to give them the quick test, but you've got to do it quickly and I think that's one of the things about Cepheid and the quick access testing because it's people who you aren't going to get hold of for very often and also people who aren't going to come back or necessarily wait around very long.”

Archie Christian: “So being able to make use of that opportunity of engagements at points of contact, you know, getting them into treatment, getting them assessed and their appointments all in a really short period of time we're talking days rather than months. This is what proved to be really successful for us.”

Dee Cunifee: “We've got very good pharmacists that we've built up relationships with they engage the people and they see the people regularly.”

Anar Tejani: “It's very important actually to have for them to have trust in to us and over time we build up a relationship to the extent that we are on first-name terms and the staff will often say they are my second family, but that helps in the long term you know for any service, anything they need they feel they can confide in us.”

Suman Verma: “If you respect somebody by testing them and giving them good treatment and good service it shows that people care.

Archie Christian: “When you’re living with this condition, one of the thoughts that can come to them is ‘what's the point, I've got this virus anyway’ -- we can clear that away and it can be the catalyst to change in other areas.

Dee Cunifee: “By showing people they're really important with this service people often have more motivation to be inspired so that their futures can be bright.”

Tim: I finished the procedure before 8 weeks. I went back to see if I still had Hep C or I didn't and now I’m clean, clean and clean!”

Anar Tejani: “This service is very doable in pharmacies as we have proved and what I want to see is for it to be rolled out into every pharmacy in the country and maybe if possible in the future try a treatment through pharmacy because we can actually follow them up they come to us every day.”

Suman Verma: If we're eradicating Hep C, we’re going to achieve these goals of eradicating hepatitis C we have to be treating this group of patients and the Cepheid system for testing is the right way to go.” 

Rachel Halford: “Having a test or access to a test that can be done so quickly, you know it's phenomenal, it's the best thing for this particular group of people.”

Anar Tejani: “One of them is coming with a big beaming smile on his face, he said, ‘I feel so much better already,’ and he lives in a hostel and he's going around telling everybody.”

Tim: “To know I haven't got it, it's like a load of my mind. It's a relief, it's great. I feel free.”

Anar Tejani: “We are making a difference to people in this disadvantaged group and makes it so much more worthwhile to do it.”