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Professor Graham Foster was asked about the services, including testing and treatment, offered to those identified via the Hepatitis C elimination programme. He explained that treatment services are dependent on the local area, however, broadly, patients are offered a liver fibrosis assessment and subsequently a multi-disciplinary meeting is held to discuss treatment needs.

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Professor Graham Foster responded to concerns about lack of consistency in monitoring of Hepatitis C in England. He favoured an individualised approach to management of Hepatitis C in consultation with the patient.

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Samantha May, Helpline Information and Support Service Manager for the Hepatitis C Trust, stated that when new treatments first became available, "we frequently heard from our callers that their consultants told them they were "lucky" to receive this new treatment and they should be "grateful" due to the initial high cost."

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Robert James, a campaigner involved in the field of patient involvement and treatment activism, stated that the rationing of DAAs by NHS England delayed the availability of effective Hepatitis C treatment to many people with haemophilia in England.

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A witness borrowed £60,000 to access Harvoni treatment privately. He explained "I couldn't bear the pain of not knowing how long I would have to wait. It felt like I was playing Russian roulette with my life." Ultimately the treatment was funded by the NHS.

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David Gort self-funded his Harvoni treatment because it was unclear when the NHS funded treatment would be provided.

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Kenneth Gray said he and his late wife would have self-funded Hepatitis C treatment if they had known it was possible, in order to have more time together.

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Julie Morgan MS, who campaigned on behalf of haemophilia patients in Parliament and then the Senedd, described access to Hepatitis C treatment in Wales as having been a "postcode lottery" but the announcement of £13.8 million for interferon-free treatment was a turning point.

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Caroline Leonard, on behalf of the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust, acknowledged that patients had had to wait, both for a hepatology referral and for treatment. By Autumn 2019, the waiting time for someone with HCV to be seen at clinic was reduced to around 8 weeks.

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Caroline Leonard explained all NICE approved specialist drug therapies are available for Hepatitis C in Northern Ireland.

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Caroline Leonard explained that in Northern Ireland patients who have a fibroscan suggestive of advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis are kept under long-term review at the liver clinic, with an ultrasound and blood test for AFP every six months and a six-monthly clinic review.

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Leigh Day solicitors submitted to the Inquiry that one of the most important issues for them in relation to their treatment was their ability to access monitoring and follow-up care for Hepatitis C (and related symptoms and conditions) after they achieved a sustained virological response, and had thus apparently "cleared" the virus.

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A witness described not being aware of, or offered, treatment for Hepatitis C until 2006 when he was treated with combination therapy of interferon and ribavirin.

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Thomas Farrell was told at the age of 64, he was too old to receive treatment for Hepatitis C, however, after contacting his GP, he was able to start a one-year course of Interferon.

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Christopher Meaden described his mother's difficulties accessing treatment with interferon, ribavirin and telaprevir in Wales.

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Michelle Tolley was told by her treating hospital that only eight people were able to receive treatment with DAAs per month. Initially she was eligible for treatment. However, she then was told that due to the hospital losing funding, the number of patients eligible for treatment reduced from eight to two and she was no longer able to receive it.

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Kenneth Dyson's wife was unable to access Harvoni treatment while being treated in Edinburgh due to funding constraints across health boards. She had to travel to Monklands Hospital to be treated.

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Mrs D was told that funding meant treatment decisions were made on a month-by-month basis: "that you wouldn't know who it was going to be until they'd had the meeting that month and decided who was going to get the treatment". There was no support during the wait.

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A witness was refused treatment with DAAs. She paid for a course of DAA treatment - sofosbuvir and daclatasvir - and managed successfully to clear the virus.

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Susan Wathen requested Harvoni treatment from her hospital following a discussion with a professor at the Hepatitis C Trust patient conference. Her hospital subsequently applied to the clinical commissioning group for funding. However this was denied as she was not considered "ill enough" for treatment. She was eventually treated with Harvoni after a two-year delay between diagnosis and receiving treatment.

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