Professionals

Welcome to the Hep C U Later Professionals page

Professionals working within areas of health, social care and the community all come into contact with people who may be at risk of viral hepatitis. Extensive work to has taken place in many areas of healthcare to improve testing, treatment and prevention, through improving pathways, forming collaborations, and using creative approaches.

It is estimated that around 50,000 people in England currently have hepatitis C and they may be unaware they have the infection.

234 million people across the globe have a chronic hepatitis B infection, with 1.2 million new infections per year.  It’s thought that there are under 269,000 people in England who living with hepatitis B, and just over half are unaware they have the virus.

To support the World Health Organisation’s global viral hepatitis elimination strategy and NHS England’s goal of eliminating viral hepatitis in England prior to the 2030 target we have pulled together key resources for professional groups.

Although everyone can do something to help eliminate viral hepatitis in England, our professional’s pages give relevant resources to some of these professional areas. If you are a professional and want to be part of the legacy of eliminating viral hepatitis get in touch to explore what you can do – email us at: connect.HepCULater@mpft.nhs.uk

Hepatitis C and Health Inequalities

Organisations, such as ICBs, aiming to deliver on the Core 20 PLUS 5 should consider how viral hepatitis interventions can be further embedded into services as viral hepatitis often affects those in the most deprived percentiles of the population, affects inclusion health groups/people with protected characteristics, and can support the intended reduction in preventable cancer diagnoses. Additionally, viral hepatitis interventions can assist services to tackle other co-occurring conditions.

The Benefits of Improving Access to Hepatitis C Testing, Prevention and Treatment

Not only does improving access to viral hepatitis testing and treatment improve the lives of people affected by it, preventing liver disease, liver transplants, and liver cancer caused by the virus can lead to cost savings for the NHS. Not taking action to ensure the remaining people with an active viral hepatitis infection are identified and treated as early as possible has cost implications, and can add additional stress to the healthcare system because of hospital waiting lists, admission rates and premature mortality.