A reminder that on 6th March there will be two BVHG meetings running in parallel, the main meeting and the inaugural BVHG Maternal & Paediatric Sub-Group meeting. Online booking is open, we hope that you join us for what will be a fantastic event.

Main Meeting: Newer HCV regimens - why, how and when...
(10.00-16.15)
The first BVHG meeting of the year will address EAPs, modelling, commissioning, accessing and engaging patients.  An international speaker will provide the European perspective also.

Sub-group Meeting: Pregnancy - HBV Research & HCV Screening
(11.30 - 15.10)
You may attend sessions of the main BVHG meeting before and after this meeting.

Registration Fee
All BASL Members - Free* (a £50 refundable deposit applies)
Non-members £45

The meeting will also feature a satellite session by Gilead during the second half of the lunch break to complement the programme. More details on this satellite meeting will be available in due course.

Further information & booking
>Go to the event page for further information and to book online.

Please forward details to your colleagues who may be interested in attending.

>19th Advanced Gastroenterology & Hepatology Course 2015
05-06 February, RCP Edinburgh

>Nottingham Postgraduate Course for the Gastro SCE (2015)
09-10 February, Nottingham

>Endolive UK 2015
12-13 March 2015, Birmingham

>Liver Course 2015
21-22 May, Birmingham

To be hosted at the Centre for Professional Development, Medical School, University of Birmingham, for trainees, consultants, nurses and allied health professionals who work locally, regionally and nationally. 

The programme covers practical and pressing issues in the management of advanced liver disease with expert speakers from around the country.

Further details can be found at www.birmingham.ac.uk/liver2015

NHS England have confirmed that the HCV Early Access Program (providing treatment with sofosbuvir and ledipasvir or daclatasvir for patients with advanced disease) is still open to patients fulfilling the criteria (for details see http://www.england.nhs.uk/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/sofosbuvir-pol-stat.pdf).  The HCV Clinical Advisory Group is working with NHS England to ensure that all people with cirrhosis have early access to therapy with the emerging all oral antiviral agents; an announcement is expected soon.

BASL is now a registered stakeholder for the following NICE consultations:

• Neonatal Jaundice
• Alcohol use disorders: Diagnosis & clinical management of alcohol-related physical complications (surveillance)

This is in addition to the other topics for which BASL is already a stakeholder:

• Alcohol: preventing harmful alcohol use in the community
• Assessment and Management of Cirrhosis
• Liver disease (non-alcoholic fatty [NAFLD])
• Hepatitis B (Quality Standard)
• Sickle Cell Crisis (Quality Standard)

Don't miss your chance to apply for funding to support your travel to EASL 2015.  BASL are administering 15 nurse bursaries of £1250 each to support attendance at EASL 2015 (22-26 April in Vienna).  The bursaries are offered by Janssen-Cilag Ltd.

Please complete and return your application form before the deadline of Friday 13th February 2015.

>Click here for further information

BASL will be administering bursaries to support attendance for UK nurses at DDF 2015, 22-25 June www.ddf2015.org.uk

The application form is currently being finalised.  There will be further information on the website in due course and in the February newsletter.

Dear NHIVNA/ BASLNF member

Liver disease is the fifth ‘big killer’ in England & Wales, after heart, cancer, stroke and respiratory disease. Liver disease caused by hepatitis B and/or C is a leading cause of serious illness and death in people who are HIV/viral hepatitis co-infected.

Liver disease caused by hepatitis C is an important cause of death in co-infected patients. Moreover, co-infected patients have a significantly shorter prognosis than HIV positive people who do not have hepatitis C.

With these figures in mind the NHIVNA Blood Borne Virus (BBV) Working Group was set up to explore the potential for collaborative work between the National HIV Nurses Association (NHIVNA) and the British Association for the Study of the Liver Nurse Forum (BASLNF). We would be interested in finding out about your experience and needs with regards to blood borne virus (BBV) screening and management.

We would be grateful if you could spend up to 5 minutes completing the following survey monkey questionnaire:

Link to the survey: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/TPCRHJL

Thanks in advance for considering our request.

Michelle Croston and Fiona Fry
Chair of NHIVNA          Chair of BASLNF

The RCN and NHS Liver Care (now NHS England and PH England) commissioned a group of specialist nurse from all fields of liver nursing to develop a competence framework. Caring for people with liver disease: a competence framework for nursing was launched in February 2013 and it is now due for review.

We would like to ask for your feedback to help us to update the framework. Whether you use some or all of the competencies, or if you haven't used the framework at all, we would still like to know why.

The survey will close on Sunday 25 January 2015 at 11pm.

Survey Access
If you would like to complete the survey, please email  liver.competences@rcn.org.uk quoting the title of the survey in the email subject. You will then be sent a survey invitation.

Thank you for your valuable time.

Survey regarding the use of non-invasive liver fibrosis tests (including Fibroscan) in clinical pathways

Link: https://opinio.ucl.ac.uk/s?s=32042

BACKGROUND:

The assessment of liver fibrosis forms a key element in the management of chronic liver disease.  Liver biopsy is still regarded as the reference test but non-invasive methods of assessment of liver fibrosis such as fibroscan are entering clinical practice.

As part of my PhD, I am conducting a survey regarding this which should take 5 minutes to complete.

I would appreciate your assistance in completing this survey and distributing it to members of your team.  All responses will be kept confidential and data will be aggregated.

Many thanks in advance for your anticipated help.

Best wishes
Ankur Srivastava
Ankur.srivastava@nhs.net

Do you know of any members who are not receiving the member communications?  It may be that their email address has changed and we are not aware.  Please ask them to contact jane.douthwaite@execbs.com at the BASL Secretariat and we will update their record. Thank you!