A new hepatitis C co-ordinator has been appointed to help sufferers in the town.
The news comes on the back of the success of the support group Hepatitis C Positive, which was the first of its kind to be set up in the town when it was launched by former sufferer Phil Spalding, who has been given the new role.
Phil, who is employed by Swindon and Wiltshire Alcohol and Drug Service, will be on hand for personal meetings with sufferers before and after testing, and will continue to help raise awareness of the infectious disease.
Phil, 53, a former drug addict, met Frances Mayes from NHS Swindon and Bill Carlton from SWADS, and said: “We have been working out all the different services and organisations in Swindon I need to contact so I can continue raising awareness of Hepatatis C and get the message out there.
“We have found that people who look in to Hepatitis C tend to start looking at improving other areas of their life – they will look at their addictions, their social life, their employability and where they are in life so it has a knock-on effect and everybody, including NHS Swindon can see the benefits and the advantages it could have to the community in the long term.”
The support group set up last year has been so successful it has gone from bi-weekly to weekly and meets at the Broadgreen Community Centre on Mondays from 6pm.click here for more information about the group on this website - website editor)
“The group is going well, sometimes we have big meetings and sometimes they are small, but people want to come along, which is great, the group is serving its purpose,” said Phil, who was diagnosed with the virus in 2005, when he checked himself into rehab at Gloucester House, in Highworth.
He had contracted it through the shared use of needles when injecting drugs and endured 48 weeks of immunotherapy.
Phil can be contacted on the new Hep C helpline on 07850025116 or email hepcpositive@swads.org.uk.
Frances Mayes, from NHS Swindon, said: “We welcome this. It can be a difficult time when people are diagnosed with Hepatitis C and people need to come to terms with the condition and be in the best position fopr treatment to make sure it is successful.
“Having someone like Phil raising awareness and offering support is a good thing for the town.”
Source: Swindon Advertiser
