Innovative nurse practitioner approaches will assist in engaging people in hepatitis C treatment and increasing treatment rates in Victoria.
The Victorian hepatitis B and C strategies 2016-2020 aim to eliminate hepatitis B and C as a public health concern by 2030.
One of the priority focus areas of the Hepatitis C strategy is to ensure that the Victorian workforce has the skills, knowledge and attitudes needed to deliver best practice hepatitis C prevention, testing, treatment and care.
Hepatitis C treatment rates are decreasing in Victoria after an initial surge in mid-2016. Innovative nurse practitioner approaches will assist in engaging people in treatment and increasing treatment rates in Victoria.
The Department of Health and Human Services, through the Victorian Nurse Practitioner Project (VNPP), is providing funding for the development and implementation of nurse practitioner service models, and associated candidate support packages where eligible. The VNPP provides an opportunity to expand the workforce that is able to prescribe hepatitis C drugs and aligns with our aim of eliminating hepatitis C as a public health concern.
A call for submissions against published criteria opened on 23 October 2017, with applications closing on 15 December 2017. Health services are invited to provide a submission to develop a hepatology (hepatitis C management) model of care. There is also the potential for a Consortium model with several health services, which may increase the number of candidates. Further information is available on the website.
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