Further to Plenary on 13 July 2022, will the Minister confirm what information will be included in the hepatitis C update in the autumn and what people working towards eliminating the virus can expect?
We recognise that hepatitis C testing and treatment services have been deeply impacted by the pandemic, and our focus now is on recovery of these services to meet the 2030 World Health Organisation (WHO) target for elimination.
Public Health Wales collect the data on treatment numbers for hepatitis C which shows that for financial year 2020/21, 220 patients were treated across Wales. Finalised treatment numbers, including data for financial year 2021/22, have been commissioned from Public Health Wales but are not yet available.
We are currently developing a Quality Statement for liver disease which will include a continuing focus on meeting our targets to eliminate chronic viral hepatitis (B and C). Quality Statements set out our vision and expectation for clinical services. They describe the outcomes and standards we expect to see in high quality, patient-focussed services and will inform national oversight of NHS delivery through the NHS planning framework and the performance management system.
My officials are currently considering the information to be included in the autumn update and are working closely with the NHS to ensure that any update is both targeted, measurable and does not sit in isolation from our efforts to treat a range of other diseases.