Hepatitis C Trust

General information

The Hepatitis C Trust is the only national UK charity for hepatitis C and has been operating since 2001. It is an entirely patient-led and patient-run organisation: all of its staff, both paid and voluntary, either have hepatitis C or have had it and have cleared it after treatment.

Historically, hepatitis C has been neglected, partly because there has been no concerted patient voice. People with hepatitis C have typically kept quiet because it is infectious and because it has been wrongly stigmatized as ‘a drug users’ disease’. The Trust is committed to changing this, by:

* raising public awareness that this is a virus that can be contracted in many ways
* ensuring that people infected with it are not discriminated against
* creating an active community of patients willing to stand up and be heard

The Trust was enormously helped by Anita Roddick’s decision to speak out about her hepatitis C, which she contracted through contaminated blood after the birth of her daughter, more than 30 years before she was diagnosed. She worked very closely with the Trust, becoming a patron, before her sudden death in 2007.

We carry out regular audits of services in the UK and our work lobbying Parliament was rewarded by the appointment of a National Clinical Director for Liver Disease.

We are working closely with the Department of Health to ensure that patients are able to access treatment wherever they are and to improve the support offered during treatment so more people are able to do treatment, complete treatment and clear the virus.

We provide a helpline, advocacy, research and support for all those affected by the life threatening disease hepatitis C. Free Health Days for patients to help those who have failed treatment or who cannot do treatment to maintain their health whilst living with hepatitis C.