Greater Manchester Hepatitis C Strategy: The next steps 2010 - 2013

This paper sets out the next steps for the Greater Manchester Hepatitis C Strategy (GMHCVS), which was formed in response to the national Hepatitis C Strategy in 2004 and increasing local recognition of a need to improve local services in Greater Manchester (GM). Hepatitis C is a serious public health issue for the North West and Greater Manchester in particular has consistently has the highest rates of infection in injecting drug users in the country. The purpose of the GMHCVS is to develop a collaborative, coordinated approach to addressing hepatitis C across GM in line with national guidance, and to develop local services to meet the increasing need and demand for services within the population. The GMHCVS is at the time of writing managed by NHS HMR, hosting the network for the 10 Greater Manchester PCT’s. This document sets out their plans for moving forward with the Hepatitis C strategy in the context of structural reforms such as the abolition of PCTs, local authority control of public health and budget cuts.