{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,6,1]],"date-time":"2026-06-01T08:07:37Z","timestamp":1780301257412,"version":"3.54.0"},"reference-count":21,"publisher":"SAGE Publications","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1780012800000},"content-version":"tdm","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/journals.sagepub.com\/page\/policies\/text-and-data-mining-license"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["journals.sagepub.com"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Public Health Rep"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Objectives:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The United Kingdom has committed to World Health Organization goals to eliminate hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. Peer-led services (PLS) may enhance health care engagement and treatment outcomes. We compared progression through the HCV care cascade between those tested in a community using PLS (PLS group) with a population tested in drug services (non\u2013PLS group) in England.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      We extracted data on individuals with HCV-RNA test results from a laboratory surveillance system (2019-2023) and linked them to a national HCV treatment database. We identified individuals tested by the Hepatitis C Trust as having received PLS. We compared differences along the care cascade using the Pearson \u03c7\n                      <jats:sup>2<\/jats:sup>\n                      test.\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 14 094 individuals in the PLS group (72.9% male; median age, 43 y) and 46 568 individuals in the non\u2013PLS group (70.6% male; median age, 44 y) received a positive HCV-RNA test result. Significantly more individuals from the PLS group than the non\u2013PLS group were linked to treatment (83% vs 51%) and initiated treatment (73% vs 33%; both\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u2009.001). Among those with a treatment outcome, 75% in the PLS group versus 80% in the non\u2013PLS group achieved a sustained virologic response (SVR) (\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u2009.001). Significantly more individuals achieved SVR among those receiving a positive HCV-RNA test result in the PLS group than in the non\u2013PLS group (36% vs 11%;\n                      <jats:italic toggle=\"yes\">P<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u2009&lt;\u2009.001).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion:<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A key strength in peer-led models lies in linkage to treatment when compared with drug services alone. This finding highlights the importance of ongoing support for peer-led programs helping medically underserved populations living with HCV progress to treatment and achieve elimination.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1177\/00333549261451180","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]],"date-time":"2026-05-29T13:18:16Z","timestamp":1780060696000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/sage-journals-update-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Comparing Outcomes of the Hepatitis C Virus Cascade of Care Between a Peer-Led Program and Drug Treatment Services in England, 2019-2023"],"prefix":"10.1177","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-4043-2141","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Rajani","family":"Raghu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Stuart","family":"Smith","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatitis C Trust, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Freddy","family":"Green","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Annabel","family":"Powell","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"David","family":"Leeman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ruth","family":"Simmons","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Monica","family":"Desai","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Leila","family":"Reid","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Hepatitis C Trust, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1759-455X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Matthew P.","family":"Hibbert","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"UK Health Security Agency, London, UK"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"179","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,5,29]]},"reference":[{"key":"e_1_3_3_2_2","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Global hepatitis report 2024: action for access in low- and middle-income countries. 2024. Accessed April 15 2026. https:\/\/www.who.int\/publications\/i\/item\/9789240091672"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_3_2","unstructured":"UK Health Security Agency. Hepatitis C in England 2024: working to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health problem. 2025. Accessed December 3 2025. https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/publications\/hepatitis-c-in-the-uk"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_4_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-1253(21)00471-4"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_5_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0249585"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_6_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1080\/08897077.2018.1485128"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_7_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/00333549221143086"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_8_2","unstructured":"World Health Organization. Egypt becomes the first country to achieve WHO validation on the path to elimination of hepatitis C. October 9 2023. Accessed October 30 2024. https:\/\/www.emro.who.int\/media\/news\/egypt-becomes-the-first-country-to-achieve-who-validation-on-the-path-to-elimination-of-hepatitis-c.html"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_9_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/S2468-1253(18)30139-0"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_10_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2017.05.031"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_11_2","unstructured":"Public Health England. Hepatitis C: interventions for patient case-finding and linkage to care: evidence review. 2019. Accessed October 30 2024. https:\/\/assets.publishing.service.gov.uk\/government\/uploads\/system\/uploads\/attachment_data\/file\/829331\/Hepatitis_C_interventions_for_patient_case-finding_and_linkage_to_care.pdf"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_12_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1186\/s12916-019-1300-2"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_13_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.13626"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_14_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2023.103982"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_15_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2023.104185"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_16_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2024.104386"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_17_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1111\/jvh.13835"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_18_2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.drugpo.2025.105005"},{"key":"e_1_3_3_19_2","unstructured":"Public Health England. Annual report from the Sentinel Surveillance of Blood Borne Virus testing in England 2019. 2020. 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