Victorian hepatitis C plan 2022–30

The hepatitis C plan details our vision of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030.

This plan is 1 of 7 plans in the Victorian sexual and reproductive health and viral hepatitis strategy 2022–30.

It builds on the objectives, focus areas and outcomes in the Victorian hepatitis C strategy 2016–2020. It outlines the priority actions implemented to date and includes new and refocused priority actions needed to meet our 2030 elimination agenda.

This plan aims to strengthen prevention, testing, treatment and care so people can be:

• diagnosed earlier
• linked into care
• reduce their risk of liver cancer.

For the first time, this plan also includes a target to reduce deaths caused by hepatitis C.

Our vision

Eliminate hepatitis C as a public health concern by 2030.

Goals

• Victorians are supported to reduce their risk of acquiring hepatitis C.
• Victorians living with hepatitis C know their status.
• Victorians living with hepatitis C have access to best practice evidence-based treatment and care.
• Victorians living with hepatitis C are cured of the disease.
• Stigma, racism and discrimination are not a barrier to hepatitis C prevention, testing, treatment and care.

System enablers

• reducing stigma, racism and discrimination
• strengthening workforce capacity
• fostering partnerships and collaboration
• strengthening and supporting data and research.

Achievements since 2016

The Medically Supervised Injecting Room (MSIR) offers services to people at high risk of Blood Borne Virus (BBV).

These services include:

• a needle and syringe program
• testing
• assessment
• counselling
• treatment for those with infections.

The Eliminate Hepatitis C (EC) Victoria Partnership was a 5-year project (2017–2021) led by the Burnet Institute in partnership with St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, our department and key stakeholders across the sector.

The partnership developed the EC practice support toolkit which is a comprehensive resource for primary care providers to deliver HCV testing, treatments and engagement in HCV care.

It worked across 11 primary care services, supporting them to test 4,473 and treat 1,162 people. It worked with 14 prison sites to assess 2,465 and treat 1,928 people.

In partnership with the Australian Research Centre in Sex Health and Society, the Victorian Integrated Hepatitis C Services expanded nurse-led models of treatment and care.

The nurses were supported to:

• build system links to care in community settings
• establish partnerships to deliver HCV services
• take part in a quarterly integrated HCV community of practice.

2030 targets*

• reduce the number of newly acquired hepatitis C infections, with a focus on priority populations, by 90 per cent (compared with 2015).
• increase the proportion of people living with hepatitis C who are diagnosed to 97 per cent.
• increase the cumulative proportion of people living with chronic hepatitis C who have initiated direct-acting antivirals treatment to 96 per cent.
• reduce hepatitis C-attributable mortality by 67 per cent (compared with 2015).
• reduce the reported experiences of stigma, racism and discrimination among people living with or affected by hepatitis C in health and social support settings to less than 10 per cent.

* Stepped targets for 2025 are outlined in the plan