Gilead exec stresses community role in healthcare

By Amanda Foster 24/09/2026 4 min read 19 views

Peter Wickersham, Vice President and General Manager of Gilead Sciences UK & Ireland, says that involving communities is essential for bridging the divide between therapies and everyday availability. He adds that a breakthrough matters only when it is delivered to patients in reliable, workable ways.

The gap between what’s clinically possible and what’s accessible isn’t a scientific problem, but rather a matter of how well the system listens and flexes to provide care where people access services. England’s hepatitis C elimination initiative is a good example of this, where the goal of elimination could only be tackled by working and partnering in fundamentally different ways.

Community-Led Approaches

Community-led approaches are essential to close the gap and achieve the public health outcomes being strived for. Wickersham cites the example of England’s hepatitis C elimination initiative, where collaborating with all stakeholders involved, including drug treatment centres and prisons, played a key role in co-creating the programme.

This approach has led to the development of a collaborative model that meets people where they are and removes many of the barriers that previously prevented them from engaging with services. Through partnership working and more flexible care pathways, testing and treatment can now be delivered in trusted community and prison settings.

For instance, at least 79 drug treatment centres have treated over 17,500 people, putting England on track to eliminate hepatitis C by the global target of 2030. Another example is Martha’s Rule, which arose from one family’s fight to be heard about their daughter’s deteriorating condition and now operates in every acute hospital in England.

Inequities in Under-Represented Communities

The most visible inequities are the ones that leave whole groups, particularly underrepresented communities, feeling invisible to a system meant to serve them. For example, one in three people living with HIV in the UK are women, yet they are still more likely to be diagnosed later than men.

Similarly, black women are disproportionately affected by triple-negative breast cancer than white women and people from ethnic minority communities, because they are more likely to receive a late-stage diagnosis. These examples suggest a broader challenge within the system – one that does not always fully reflect the diversity of patient needs and experiences.

Wickersham notes that community insight is often still gathered at the end of a process to validate decisions already made, rather than at the start to shape them. This highlights the need for a shift in approach, one that prioritizes community engagement and partnership from the outset.

In this discussion, the importance of community engagement lies in its ability to bridge the gap between innovation and access. By listening to and addressing the needs of under-represented communities, healthcare systems can develop more effective and targeted solutions.

The NHS’s 10 Year Health Plan has emphasized the importance of putting the patient voice and neighbourhood-level care at the centre of its vision. However, the plan has not revealed detailed proposals on how communities can influence decisions beyond simple mechanisms such as digital feedback channels.

With the global target of eliminating hepatitis C by 2030 in sight, the focus is now on applying these learnings to other areas, such as HIV prevention. By delivering services at a community level and engaging with community organisations as long-term partners, healthcare systems can begin to address the inequities that exist and improve access for under-represented communities.

Community-centred approaches have been successful in improving access and outcomes, particularly in the case of hepatitis C elimination. A collaborative model was developed, bringing together various stakeholders, including the NHS, drug treatment services, and charities.

The success of this model can be attributed to its flexibility and ability to meet people where they are, removing barriers that previously prevented them from engaging with services. Testing and treatment can now be delivered in trusted community and prison settings, making care more accessible and improving engagement.

Applying Learnings to Other Areas

By involving under-represented communities earlier in strategy development and being transparent about how their input shapes the final decision, policymakers can begin to address the inequities that exist. Health systems should also engage with community organisations as long-term partners, rather than just during consultation. Building pathways around how people actually live and access care outside of traditional service settings can also help improve access and outcomes.