Publish date: 5 September 2025
Blackpool Teaching Hospitals' Liver Service team are celebrating the success they are achieving collaboratively in reducing and treating hepatitis C in the Blackpool area.
Hepatitis C is a disease that attacks the liver and, if not treated, can lead to cirrhosis, cancer and death.
The nurse-led Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) treatment service in Blackpool has demonstrated remarkable benefits since its pioneering inception in 2002.
This service, entirely managed by nurses with consultant support for complex cases, has transformed Blackpool's HCV landscape.
Once plagued with the worst HCV prevalence statistics in the country for over a decade, Blackpool has now achieved micro elimination across the region, a milestone set to be reached ahead of many other areas in the country.
What micro elimination means is that
- 100% of people who access drug and alcohol services have been offered a test
- 100% of people who access the drug and alcohol services with a history of injecting drugs have had a test
- 90% of people in structured treatment with a history of injecting drugs who are at risk have had a test in the last 12 months
- 90% of people have started treatment, completed treatment, or cleared the virus naturally
The Liver Service employs the most advanced methods of patient engagement, adhering to the principle that no patient should be considered 'hard to reach.'
In Blackpool, patients who were once deemed unreachable have been successfully engaged thanks to the persistence, time, and resources invested by the staff. This initiative not only highlights the effectiveness of a nurse-led approach but also underscores the importance of innovative and patient-centered care and working across healthcare boundaries in overcoming public health challenges.
Liver nurse specialist Mike Simpkin said: “We see patients in drug and alcohol services, the hospital, their homes and on a clinic outreach van in order to ease access to services and have treated hundreds of people to achieve this milestone.
It has been a collaborative effort between drug and alcohol services, the liver service at Blackpool Victoria Hospital and the wider NHS.”
The event was a part celebration and part seminar about what steps needed to take to keep Hepatitis C micro-eliminated in the Blackpool area.
Emma MacFarland, Clinical lead at Delphi Medical, from Delphi Blackpool spoke about how the increase in testing at services has helped to achieve this and that it should not slow down now.
Jane Grassham, Programme Manager from the Lancashire and South Cumbria ODN spoke about how this has been a collaborative effort between NHS, Public Health, Drug and Alcohol Services and private pharmacy companies.
Mike Rolland, Nurse Lead on the BTH liver team, highlighted how Hepatitis C treatment has progressed in the 20 years he has been doing it.
Congratulations to the team for their achievements.
