NPHN OVERVIEW
The Challenges
Hepatitis C remains a significant public health challenge in Australia, particularly among people who inject drugs. Since the introduction of highly effective direct-acting antiviral (DAA) treatments in 2015, Australia has made significant strides towards eliminating hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030, in line with the World Health Organization's targets. However, approximately 70,000 Australians still live with chronic hepatitis C, and up to several thousand new infections occur annually.
Australian prisons represent a critical setting to address hepatitis C transmissions due to the close relationship between injecting drug use, imprisonment, and hepatitis C infection. The population of people in prison are often marginalised, and generally have limited engagement with health services in the community, and so imprisonment presents an opportunity for targeted health interventions. However, prisons also pose significant challenges to healthcare delivery, due to overcrowding, frequent movements (transfers and releases), high rates of chronic and mental illness, competing health and security priorities, and ongoing exposure to violence and illicit drugs in a setting with an absence of sufficient harm reduction measures. In recognition of the burden of disease in the setting, people in prison and prison settings are considered as priority populations and settings, respectively, for focused hepatitis C elimination efforts.
The Network
In response to these challenges, the NPHN was established in 2017 by a group of academics, clinicians, health care administrators, and advocates who are dedicated to enhancing hepatitis C care for people incarcerated in Australian prisons.
The NPHN connects key stakeholders from the justice health, custodial, health policy, academia, and consumer sectors in each Australian jurisdiction. NPHN membership is growing each year, now with over 250 members. The NPHN facilitates information and knowledge exchange, supports research, advocates for continued scale-up of prison-based hepatitis C testing, treatment, and prevention, and fosters collaborations across jurisdictions and across health and correctional sectors. The overall goal of the NPHN is to facilitate a coordinated national approach to prison-based hepatitis C elimination.
​
The NPHN is administered by The Kirby Institute University of New South Wales, the Burnet Institute, and St Vincent’s Hospital Melbourne, and is governed by an Executive Committee. To read more about the NPHN governance structure and the Executive Committee, click here.
The Objectives
The NPHN regularly reviews its objectives and priorities to ensure that its mission and focus areas align with national elimination goals, while addressing the most pressing challenges in the sector. The current objectives of the NPHN are:
-
To promote scale-up of hepatitis C testing, treatment, and prevention in Australian prisons by facilitating knowledge exchange, research, and advocacy; and
-
To contribute to Australia’s goal to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030 through coordinating a national approach to prison-based elimination.
CURRENT NPHN PRIORITIES
1.
To continue to promote scale-up of hepatitis C tetsing and treatment in prisons nationally.
2.
To continue to facilitate exchange of information regarding hepatitis C testing, treatment, and prevention in prison settings nationally.
3.
To facilitate networking, knowledge dissemination, and discussion regarding hepatitis C testing, treatment, and prevention in the Australian prison sector via an annual NPHN members workshop, virtual and other events, and by hosting a website.
4.
To advocate for improved access to hepatitis C prevention measures in the prison sector nationally.
5.
To facilitate establishment and evaluation of effective hepatitis C care for the community corrections setting nationally.
COMPLETED NPHN PRIORITIES
2017-2023
Hepatitis C education
To establish a national education initiative with a goal to develop a prison-focused hepatitis C education program for people in prison, correctional officers, and healthcare providers working in the prison sector.
Hepatitis C surveillance
To establish a model for surveillance of hepatitis B, hepatitis C, and HIV risk and infection rates, and antiviral treatment uptake, in the prison sector in each state and territory.
Hepatitis C testing and treatment scale-up
To advocate for scale-up of hepatitis C services, including testing, treatment, prevention, and continuity of care in the prison sector nationally.