Hepatitis C testing service

The Community Pharmacy Hepatitis C Antibody Testing Service was added to the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework (CPCF) in 2020, commencing on 1st September. The introduction of this new Advanced Service was originally trailed in the 5-year CPCF agreement, but its planned introduction in April 2020 was delayed by five months because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The service is focused on provision of point of care testing (POCT) for Hepatitis C (Hep C) antibodies to people who inject drugs (PWIDs), i.e. individuals who inject illicit drugs, e.g. steroids or heroin, but who haven’t yet moved to the point of accepting treatment for their substance use. Where people test positive for Hep C antibodies, they will be referred for a confirmatory test and treatment, where appropriate.

Please click HERE for all the details on PSNC