A film to raise awareness and increase knowledge of hepatitis C among GPs and other primary care practitioners has been launched today by the Royal College of GPs (RCGP),the Hepatitis C Trust and HCV Action.
Hepatitis C affects around 214,000 people in the UK and the virus can lead to liver disease and cancer, making it a significant public health issue.
With 90% of all patient contacts in the NHS conducted by GPs and their teams, it is likely that patients with hepatitis C will at some point be treated in general practice and wider primary care services, yet guidance from both the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Public Health England suggests that more needs to be done to raise awareness levels among primary care professionals.
Danny Morris, clinical lead for the RCGP certificate in the detection, diagnosis and management of Hepatitis B and C in primary care, said: “GPs will increasingly be involved in delivering care and support to these patients, so it is vital that we raise awareness of the virus, improve education around disease prevention, improve rates of diagnosis and increase access to hepatitis C treatment throughout primary care.”
The open-access ‘Detecting and Managing Hepatitis C in Primary Care’ is available to view for free on the HCV Action website.
