Who we are
The Hepatitis C Trust is a charity dedicated to eliminating hepatitis C in the UK by 2030.
We champion the right of every person at risk of hepatitis C in the UK to receive effective testing, treatment and care.
We achieve this by empowering people with lived experience, influencing policy and practice, and working with healthcare and treatment services to deliver support and raise awareness about hepatitis C.
The Hepatitis C Trust was founded in 2001 by four people who met while looking for ways to manage their condition. At that time, there was no effective treatment for hepatitis C and there was no central source for reliable information about the virus.
Determined to do something, these founders formed the UK’s first and only dedicated hepatitis C charity.
More than 20 years later, The Hepatitis C Trust has become the leading voice for people affected by hepatitis C in the UK.
We remain a peer-led organisation, which means that the majority of our staff and volunteers have been affected by hepatitis C. Our combined lived experience ensures that the patient’s voice remains at the heart of everything we do.
Our team
Our team work across the UK to find, test and support people into treatment for hepatitis C.
Whether we are working alongside our partners in the NHS to provide a vital link between patients and healthcare services, lobbying government to improve patient care, or educating people in prison about the risk of hepatitis C, we are passionate about everything we do.
Together, we can eliminate hepatitis C in the UK by 2030.
Our leadership team
Supporting The Hepatitis C Trust staff is a team responsible for the day-to-day leadership of the charity.
Gemma joined the Trust in 2006 after making the documentary Louie, me and Hepatitis C, leading successful fundraising campaigns. She founded Art on a Postcard (AOAP) in 2015 to fundraise for The Hepatitis C Trust. AOAP has raised around £1,000,000 for our cause and has included artists like Marina Abramović, Damien Hirst and Gilbert and George.
Leila leads our research, helpline and information services, communications and corporate services; including our central office team. She joined us from Public Health England and has spent more than 10 years working on health and equalities in charities and in government.
Rachel joined The Hepatitis C Trust in 2015 and has been CEO since 2017. She came to us from Women in Prison, which she led for a decade. A strong advocate for the rights of people affected by the criminal justice system, and people facing inequality and discrimination, Rachel is also President Elect of the World Hepatitis Alliance.
Sean leads our Criminal Justice work, including the High Intensity Test and Treat mass testing programme and our prison peer volunteer programme. His team work in every English prison, with probation services, and with criminal justice partners in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Sean also oversees our training department.
Stuart leads our community services teams which work as part of the 24 local NHS hepatitis C delivery networks in England, as well as in Scotland and Wales. Having worked for the Trust for more than a decade, Stuart is a longstanding advocate of the impact of peers in services.
Our trustees
Our Board of Trustees are an elected group of individuals who hold overall responsibility for the management of the organisation.
They ensure we work within our charitable objectives and are meeting the needs of all people affected by hepatitis C.
- Hon David Macmillan, Chair
- Mr Simon Lincoln, Treasurer
- Sir Adrian Baillie
- Professor Margaret Bassendine
- Mr John Jolly
- Mr Edward Mead
- Mr Peter Holt
- Mr Charles Walsh
Our patrons
Our patrons help to promote our work and raise awareness of hepatitis C in the UK.
- Ms Sadie Frost
- Boy George
- Miss Emilia Fox
- Mr Andrew Loog Oldham
- The Lord Mancroft
- Mr Alan McGee
- Justine Roddick
- Mr Robbie Williams