Resources

The Greater Manchester Hepatitis C Steering Group was set up to improve local services for people with hepatitis C. This group undertook a health needs assessment in 2006 that estimated between 10,000 and 22,000 cases of hepatitis C across Greater Manchester. The main factor for this high prevalence is the high number of injecting drug users in the area with local laboratory data suggesting that many of those with hepatitis C are undiagnosed. The steering group set up a Hepatitis C Strategy to tackle this, focused on four key areas of prevention, testing, treatment and surveillance.

There is an increasing demand nationally and locally for HCV Specialist Nurses. Nurses wishing to become HCV specialist nurses come from a variety of nursing backgrounds. This reflects the need to coordinate and standardise training regarding this emerging speciality. Currently, there are no pre- or post-registration courses specifically designed to deliver training for viral hepatitis in nursing.

This project aimed to determine the training and knowledge requirements of consultants wishing to specialise in the treatment of Hepatitis C (HCV). It provides a series of recommendations for the development of appropriate training and resources to support the continued growth of the specialism. These recommendations are based on feedback obtained from semi-structured interviews undertaken with consultants

This White Paper sets out the long-term plan for the NHS in this Parliamentary term and beyond. The Government states that it will give the NHS a coherent, stable, enduring framework for quality and service improvement. It aims for the debate on health to no longer be about structures and processes, but about priorities and progress in health improvement for all. This is a challenging and far-reaching set of reforms, which will drive cultural changes in the NHS. It sets out plans for managing change, including the transitional roles of strategic health authorities and primary care trusts.