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Viral Hepatitis Elimination, Liver Health and Harm Reduction in NHS APA Community Drug and Alcohol Treatment Services
This initiative is led by the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance and is commissioned by the NHS England Viral Hepatitis Elimination Programme. Additionally, the work is supported by a Joint Working Agreement with Gilead Sciences.
The aims of the programme are:
- To micro-eliminate hepatitis C within the community drug and alcohol treatment services of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (around 50 services in total).
- To support community drug and alcohol services with data analysis which benefits case finding and treatment of viral hepatitis, and where relevant, hepatitis B vaccination.
- To deliver education and helpful tools to support the community drug and alcohol service workforce.
- To support and develop initiatives which improve viral hepatitis care, liver health and harm reduction.
- To build awareness of best practice harm reduction initiatives and practice.
More about our work in drug and alcohol services
Hep C U Later works extensively across community drug and alcohol services nationally, through collaborating with the NHS Trusts within the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance and providing guidance and support on:
- Minimising data recording anomalies or issues with clinical recording systems
- Reflecting data back on dashboards
- Reviewing and improving testing and treatment pathways
- Linking stakeholders
- Proving ‘on the ground’ support for testing and health events
- Supporting innovative work such as clinical outreach vans and pilot projects
- Providing bespoke training, webinars and forums
- Supporting with testing and treatment events
- Supporting services to use GeneXpert (Cepheid) machines and FibroScans
- Strategic planning
- Communications and marketing strategies
- Awareness and engagement campaigns
- Providing benchmarking work
- Providing resources to support staff and people accessing services
- Using quality improvement methodology
To read more about what we’ve achieved take a look at our Impact Report.
Joint Working Agreement Partners
NHS Addiction Provider Alliance Trusts involved with Hep C U Later
Working collaboratively
Hep C U Later collaborates with multiple national partners in the fight to micro-eliminate hepatitis C such as the Hepatitis C Trust, UKHSA, Operational Delivery Networks (ODNs), and Hepatology departments.
Gilead Sciences lead the Hep C Drug Treatment Service Provider Forum which brings together national BBV leads from across the drug treatment sector. The NHS APA is represented by Hep C U Later and the group consists of national Blood-Borne-Virus (BBV) leads from across the third sector. Within this group, we look to standardise work to reduce inequity and continually increase the quality of hepatitis C-related interventions.
We combine our efforts to promote joint awareness campaigns and learn from each other. Together, the Hepatitis C Drug Treatment Service Provider Forum has been shortlisted for many awards and in 2023 won the HSJ Best Healthcare Analytics Project for the NHS award.
In 2025 Hep C U Later won the UKPHR award for Best Digital and Communications Initiative of the Year. In 2025 Hep C U Later won the Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust Brilliant You award for Delivering Through Partnership.