What is hepatitis C?
Hepatitis C is a blood borne virus that if left untreated can cause liver disease, cancer and premature death. Testing is simple, and anyone in England can now order a free at home hepatitis C test here. There is a cure for hepatitis C. For more information you can read our factsheet.
Hepatitis C elimination
There is a global aim to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030, and a national aim to eliminate it by 2025. Hep C U Later was formed in 2020 to help NHS England reach the goal of eliminating hepatitis C in England. NHS England’s large scale and highly successful elimination programme spans across a vast number of systems across the NHS, third sector, charities and pharmaceutical companies. Some of the successes of the NHSE elimination programme since 2015 are:
Who is Hep C U Later?
Hep C U Later has two key programmes:
o Drug and Alcohol Services Programme – Micro-eliminating hepatitis C in all drug and alcohol services across 14 NHS Trusts which are part of the NHS Addictions Provider Alliance (of which Inclusion, Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is a part)
o Engagement Programme – Providing hepatitis C awareness, CPD accredited training and resources to professionals working in primary care, antenatal services and emergency departments.
Our progress so far:
Currently Hep C U Later have micro-eliminated in 7 drug and alcohol services, with many more moving closer to this milestone. The work carried out across these services actively tackles health inequalities through reducing stigma, improving pathways, increasing testing and treatment, and providing bespoke support for people who may experience barriers in accessing healthcare.
If you want to find out more read our Impact Report
Engagement Programme team are keen to engage with professionals working in general practice, community pharmacies, dentistry, or antenatal services to discuss how they can be a part of eliminating hepatitis C in England and provide them with the resources and links to do it.
There are many ways to get involved. For some this could be as simple as displaying a poster which provides a link for people to order a free hepatitis C test, for others Hep C U Later can provide the links to other organisations who can provide resources to support them to identify those at risk in their services.
Read our Get Involved for World Hepatitis Day web page here to look at what you can do to be a part of making history through contributing to the elimination of hepatitis C in England.
July 28th is World Hepatitis Day.
If you would like to know more about hepatitis C access our resources at www.HepCULater.com or get in touch at [email protected]
Follow the Hep C U Later LinkedIn page