As a member of the specialist nurses group and my previous work within primary care, I was very honoured to be recently invited to present on how the joint RCN/NHS Liver Care Caring for People with Liver Disease: a Competence Framework can help manage patients with viral hepatitis in primary care.
I have successfully run a hepatitis C treatment service in primary care offering support to a community that can feel isolated, marginalised and socially excluded. I am now employed by Addaction in a new developing role ensuring best practice for BBV services in Cornwall. These are exciting times for Addaction; from April 2013, we will provide all drug and alcohol services for the county.
Health care professionals working in drug treatment services are crucial in the delivery of health promotion and identifying risk factors/signs of liver disease. I am working towards the competence framework being used as part of the induction package for all our staff, with competences being built into their working practice. This can only serve to provide better outcomes for our liver patients.