Location, Location, Location: An Audit of Hepatitis C Healthcare in England

In July 2004 the Department of Health published a Hepatitis C Action Plan for England, setting out required actions for Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) and NHS Hospital Trusts. Over the following 18 months the All-Party Parliamentary Hepatology Group (APPHG) became concerned by anecdotal evidence from patients and clinicians that the Action Plan was not being implemented in their area. In spring 2006 the APPHG audited hepatitis C services in PCTs and NHS Trusts across the country. The resulting report, ‘A Matter of Chance’, highlighted many areas of deficiency with only 8% of PCTs implementing the Plan effectively. 18 months on, in September 2007, the APPHG decided to repeat the audit to see whether, more than 3 years after the Hepatitis C Action Plan was published, it was finally being implemented nationwide and whether patients across the country were receiving a universal standard of care.