Action grants to support the implementation of best practices in community-based services for the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections

EXPECTED RESULTS AND IMPACT
The expected results are:

1. integrated community-based health services, including prevention, counselling, peer-support, harm-reduction, prison-in-reach and through-care services, as well as testing and linkage to care;
2. capacity and network building in the areas of HIV/AIDS, hepatitis and tuberculosis, including training, promotion and use of relevant IT tools towards hard-to-reach populations;
3. horizontal support tasks including organisation of meetings and exchange of information facilitating the participation of relevant civil society organisations and networks.

SPECIFIC MANDATORY DELIVERABLES AND/OR MILESTONES ​

The applicants should indicate in the proposal the reasoning and criteria for choosing the respective Good/Best Practices and/or tools/guides for implementations.

Networks are encouraged as much as possible to work together across diseases (instead of focusing on one disease only) and to foster an integrated, and people oriented approach. For all activities:

- Dissemination plan and report;

- Evaluation plan and report;

For activities (a) and (b):

- Implementation report, outlining the strength and weaknesses of the transfer/scaling up of the best practices and/or implementation of tools/guides (including lessons learned, recommendations for future transfers/scaling up, monitoring of impact);

For activity (c):

- Annual activity report, outlining the implemented changes to the network during the reporting period and the achievements of the network done during the reporting period (including lessons learned, recommendations for future transfers/scaling up, monitoring of impact).

SPECIFIC ACTION-LEVEL FOR REPORTING PURPOSES

Applicants must include data on the following specific action-level indicators in their regular reporting activities in case of award, and must be prepared to include additional specific action-level indicators where needed:

For Activity (a):

- Number of patients being tested in the community settings under funded activities;

- Percentage of patients being tested under funded activities, with respect to total patients tested in the community settings;

- Number of patients having received prevention, counselling, peer-support, harm-reduction or through-care services under funded activities;

- Percentage of patients having received services under funded activities under funded activities, with respect to total patients having received prevention, counselling, peer-support, harm-reduction or through-care services under funded activities;

For Activity (b):

- Uptake of existing tools and guide (downloads, citations ….);

- Patients/Citizens reached by the tools/guides, under funded activities;

For Activity (c):

- Number of new membership of the network;

- Patients/persons reached with the network activities, under funded activities;

- Additional Health- and health care professionals reached under funded activities;

- Funded activities satisfaction rate of patients, community, health- and health care providers.

POLICY CONTEXT

Communicable diseases such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections are examples of epidemics that continue to beset our societies, posing a public health burden. In addition, major communicable diseases can be serious cross-border health threats, with the potential to rapidly escalate, if left unchecked. HIV, tuberculosis and viral hepatitis, in particular, remain a challenge to Member States’ health systems. Moreover, the Union is not yet on track to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including ending HIV and tuberculosis, and combatting viral hepatitis by 2030. In 2016, the Commission committed itself to support Member States in reaching these targets.

There is wide recognition (including by ECDC, UNAIDS and WHO) that community responses must play an increasing role in addressing the epidemics and many Member States include community-based services in their response. Further support is needed to broaden the reach of services, supporting retention in care, increasing demand, monitoring quality, advancing human rights and combatting stigma and discrimination.

This action supports the prevention and monitoring of communicable diseases and implements the EU4Health Programme’s general objective of improving and fostering health in the Union (Article 3, point (a)) through the specific objectives in Article 4, points (a), (b) and (j) of Regulation (EU) 2021/522.

OBJECTIVES

The action aims at strengthening and supporting community-based service organisations in the Member States and neighbouring countries in the implementation of people-centre effective and integrated interventions, as well as linkage to care amongst groups at high risk of contracting HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections. It will also directly contribute to national programmes and public health measures, thus, supporting the implementation of internationally agreed goals.

DESCRIPTION OF THE ACTIVITIES TO BE FUNDED UNDER THIS TOPIC

The action will build on the results of the Third Health Programme (2014-2020), which, among others, served to foster the development of integrated community-based services, the setting-up of Union-wide networks and the design of tools/guides for community-based services.

This action will support the implementation of the generated knowledge, as well as piloted good practices.

Activities shall include one or more of the below topics:

(a) the strengthening and expansion of community voluntary testing, early diagnosis and linkage to care of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted infections as well as counselling. They will also pursue harm-reduction, peer support, prison-in-reach and through-care services approaches in hard-to-reach vulnerable groups;

(b) the implementation and scaling up of tools developed under previous actions and other practical approaches to support community-based activities. This will include implementation and quality assurance of Union-wide standardised indicators on testing and linkage to care and treatment among key risk groups;

(c) consolidation of the existing network(s) of community-based services in Europe in order to forge closer interaction, facilitate the exchange of best practice and promote innovative approaches fostering the increase of early diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, viral hepatitis and sexually transmitted diseases and linkage to care in Europe among the most affected groups.