Addressing liver disease in the UK: a blueprint for attaining excellence in health care and reducing premature mortality from lifestyle issues of excess consumption of alcohol, obesity, and viral hepatitis

The WHO Consolidated guidelines on HIV, viral hepatitis and STI prevention, diagnosis, treatment and care for key populations outline a public health response for five key populations (men who have sex with men, trans and gender diverse people, sex workers, people who inject drugs and people in prisons and other closed settings). They present and discuss new recommendations and consolidate a range of recommendations and guidance from current WHO guidelines.

The Cocoon project, set up in Tayside, Scotland seeks to address the high rate of drug-related deaths in the area.  The project delivers point-of-care diagnosis of HCV in needle exchange sites, while also integrating services which typically require travel to alternate NHS sites to reduce the burden of multiple visits and different providers. The result is a ‘one-stop’ holistic care bundle which seeks to address the inequity of access experienced by PWUD by increasing their engagement through services tailored to their specific needs.