Policy and parliamentary

The Hepatitis C Trust’s policy and parliamentary team are a leading force in campaigning to improve the outcomes of people with hepatitis C. Focused on improving awareness of hepatitis C among policymakers, MPs and Peers in Westminster – as well as parliamentarians within the devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales – our aim is to improve testing, diagnosis and access to treatment and support for patients. Our ultimate goal is for hepatitis C to be eliminated as a serious public health concern in the UK.

We meet regularly with key policy stakeholders across NHS England, Public Health England and the Department of Health, collaborating to advocate for patient-centred, evidence-based, workable proposals and solutions for improving hepatitis C services across the UK.

Our parliamentary and devolved-assembly champions from across the political spectrum are crucial partners in helping us to raise awareness of hepatitis C and lobby for a more robust response from Government and health bodies. The Hepatitis C Trust acts as the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Health, which holds inquiries, produces reports and holds regular meetings aimed at pushing hepatitis C and the other major causes of liver disease onto the policy agenda. Read more about our work with members of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Health here. In Scotland, we coordinate the Scottish Hepatitis C Parliamentary Champions, a group of cross-party MSPs committed to providing a voice in the Scottish Parliament for people with hepatitis C.

Some of our campaigning successes have included:

  • Welsh Government commitment to a hepatitis C elimination strategy, currently under development in collaboration with The Hepatitis C Trust and other stakeholders.
  • Scottish Government commitment to the elimination of hepatitis C as a serious public health concern, and to introducing opt-out BBV tests in all Scottish prisons, within its 2015 – 2020 Sexual Health and Blood Borne Virus Framework.
  • In 2014 our All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Health (formerly the APPG on Hepatology) Inquiry report into Outcomes in Liver Disease ‘Today’s Complacency, Tomorrow’s Catastrophe’ led to a commitment by Public Health England to producing a national Liver Disease Framework.
  • In 2013 we secured an agreement by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), NHS England and Public Health England to the universal introduction of opt-out testing for BBVs (blood-borne viruses) in English prisons by 2016/17.

 

Campaigning in England

There are real challenges for the provision of hepatitis C testing and treatment in England. We are working hard to change this.

Campaigning in Scotland

Impressive strides have been taken in Scotland to tackle the virus, but there is still much work to be done.

Campaigning in Wales

Our work in Wales is predominantly focused on increasing the public and political attention that hepatitis C receives.

HCV Action

The Hepatitis C Trust runs the secretariat for HCV Action, a network bringing together professionals delivering hepatitis C services.

APPG on Liver Health

The Hepatitis C Trust runs the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Liver Health.