The Hepatitis C Trust releases general election manifesto and patient activist toolkit

The Hepatitis C Trust has today released its general election manifesto, which sets out the key measures the next Government must take in order to eliminate hepatitis C as a major public health concern by 2030, in line with the UK’s international commitment.
The manifesto outlines the current hepatitis C policy landscape and focuses on seven key areas where the next Government must take action: prevention; testing; treatment; commissioning; prisons; drug services; and elimination.
Among the measures that The Hepatitis C Trust is seeking from the next Government are:
That ring-fenced public health funding to local authorities is protected and increased.
That a hepatitis C action plan is produced, focusing on the practical steps required to increase testing and diagnosis.
Support for a ‘treat all’ strategy, which would end the cap on the number of people who can be treated for hepatitis C.
To develop a ‘roadmap to elimination’ paper, identifying the short, medium and long-term steps required to ensure the elimination of hepatitis C in the UK by 2030.
Alongside the manifesto, The Hepatitis C Trust has also launched its ‘General Election Patient Activist Toolkit’, designed to support those affected by hepatitis C to campaign for further action on tackling the virus in the next Parliament. Contained within the toolkit are key messages to communicate to parliamentary candidates, along with a number of suggested ways of campaigning.
The toolkit is designed to make campaigning as easy as possible, featuring a template letter to send to candidates, a link that allows users to contact their candidates on Twitter in just a few clicks, and hints and tips for engaging with parliamentary candidates in person.
The manifesto can be downloaded here, and the General Election Patient Activist Toolkit here.