Edinburgh Napier University

  Approximately 37,000 people are infected with the hepatitis C virus (HCV) in Scotland, with over 85% of infections in people who inject, or have injected drugs (PWID). Treatment for HCV is simple, tolerable and effective, yet the current annual rate of uptake is estimated at only 5-6%. The reasons for this relate to multiple interruptions in the journey through care, not least the difficulty of linking those diagnosed with HCV into treatment. One strategy to improve this is the movement of HCV treatment away from traditional specialist centres, and into primary care. We are seeking funds to identify the key constituents of such primary care-based HCV treatment, and develop an acceptable and practicable primary care-based treatment pathway for PWID. Without a significant increase in treatment uptake among PWID, the burden of HCV is unlikely to reduce substantially in the coming years.