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.

• Main Meeting: Newer HCV regimens - why, how and when...
• Sub-group Meeting: Pregnancy - HBV Research & HCV Screening

Gilead lunchtime Symposium:
'Ribavirin: A Drug of the Past OR A Part of the Future

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

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.

Submission deadline: Friday 27 February 2015
Review: Wednesday 4 March 2015 – Friday 17 April 2015
Abstract notification: Friday 24 April 2015

Abstract Submissions
Please click here to submit an abstract for oral or poster presentation at DDF 2015.

Abstract Topics
Abstracts on the topic of  Liver are welcome in the following categories, for both oral and poster presentation.

• Basic science
• Clinical science
• Liver cancer
• Transplant
• Viral hepatitis

>Guideline document
>Further information

>Endolive UK 2015
12-13 March 2015, Birmingham

>Royal Free & UCL Postgraduate Hepatology Course
01-02 April 2015
Endorsed by BASL and BVHG

>An introduction to infectious disease modelling
Tuesday 21 April 2015, Imperial College, Paddington Campus

>Liver Course 2015

21-22 May, 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

Last chance to submit your applications for a Janssen Nurse Bursary of £1250 to support your travel to EASL 2015, 22-26 April 2015.

Deadline today, Friday 13th February 2015.

We have had a great response, so good luck to all that have applied so far!

All applicants will be advised whether they have been accepted or are on a reserve list on Monday 23rd February.

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

>Click here for further information

Following last year’s successful national recruitment to the advanced Hepatology posts we held another round of interviews on the 28th January for posts commencing September 2015. Although the application numbers were lower than last year, all interviewed candidates were deemed appointable and we filled the 15 English posts from the top 16 ranked candidates. The process of accreditation in Hepatology has been smoothed with a separate PYA process that feeds directly into the award of a subspecialty CCT – this applies to academic Hepatology trainees as well as clinical trainees who do the advanced year. The GMC have confirmed that it is possible for those on unconventional training paths to access a subspecialty CCT via the CESR route providing they are on the Specialist Register for Gastroenterology. Following the Lancet Commission report we are currently undertaking a review of the training potential of Trusts throughout the UK. The future looks bright for Hepatology training and virtually all get liver jobs at the end of the day.

On 30th January 2015, NHS England launched a three month public consultation on proposed changes to a number of new and existing service specifications and clinical commissioning policies for specialised services.  There has already been extensive engagement on these national specifications and policies, and now NHSE want to test them further with wider groups of stakeholders.

NHSE are consulting on the following documents:

Area A – Internal Medicine (digestion, renal, hepatobiliary and circulatory systems)

• Clinical Commissioning Policy Treatment of Digital Ulceration in Systemic Sclerosis (for interim adoption whilst out for formal consultation)
• Service Specification Hep C Networks (1 month consultation)
• Commissioning Policy Dialysis Away From Base (The Clinical Reference Group has also produced a related FAQ paper which should also be taken into consideration in your consultation response)

Area B – Cancer and Blood (infection, cancer, immunity and haematology)

• Clinical Commissioning Policy Cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraoperative chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma

Area D – Trauma (traumatic injury, orthopaedics, head and neck, and rehabilitation)

• Service Specification Adult Critical Care

Area E – Women & Children (Women and children’s health, congenital and inherited disease)

For more information and to complete the consultation, go to https://www.engage.england.nhs.uk/consultation/specialised-services-policies

Nominations are invited to populate the Governing Board of the British Liver Transplant Group (details below). Expressions of interest in the position of Chair of BLTG should be submitted explicitly stating an interest in this position.

Nominations will close at 5pm on Friday 13th March 2015.
Elections, where required, will be completed by Friday 10th April 2015.

Those elected to the BLTG Governing Board will be required to hold association membership at the start of their term if it is not already in place.

Please send nominations and expressions of interest via email to paula@execbs.com before the closing date above.

The positions on the BLTG Governing Board will be:

The Governing Board of BLTG shall consist of:
1) The three principal officers of the Society:
a. The BLTG Chair; (2 years)
b. The BLTG Secretary; (3 years)
c. The BASL Treasurer; (2 years)
d. BLTG Chair elect (for 12 months prior to taking up post)
e. Immediate post-Chair (for 12 months after leaving post)
2) Conference, education and training lead – elected by the members (2 and 3 years alternating)
3) Transplant hepatology representative – elected by the members (3 & 2 years alternating)
4) Transplant surgery representative – elected by the members (2 & 3 years alternating)
5) Paediatric representative – elected by the members (3 years)
6) Two nursing representatives representing patient care before and after liver transplantation, respectively – elected by the members (2 years)
7) Pathology representative –nominated by the pathology group (3 years)
8) Pharmacist representative – nominated by the UK and Ireland Liver Transplant Pharmacist Group (3 years)
9) Patient representative –nominated by the patients group (2 years)
10) Chair of LAG (ex officio)
11) BASL representative – nominated by BASL (2 years)
12) BTS representative – nominated by BTS (2 years).
13) BSG (Liver Section) representative – nominated by BSG (3 years)
14) AUGIS representative – nominated by AUGIS (3 years).
15) LICAGE representative – nominated by LICAGE (2 years).

The NICE Indicators Advisory Committee prioritises, reviews and develops indicators for a range of purposes including for potential use in the Primary Care Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and the Clinical Commissioning Group Outcomes Indicators Set (CCG OIS).

Recruitment for membership of the Indicators Advisory Committee starts today and we are seeking applications for the following roles:

• Health outcomes measurement expert
• 3 x secondary care consultants / clinicians, including a paediatrician and a geriatrician
• Psychiatrist / mental health professional
• Practice nurse

Further information including how to apply is available on the NICE website; please follow the links below for details: 
http://www.nice.org.uk/get-involved/join-a-committee/member-indicators-advisory-committee
http://www.nice.org.uk/get-involved/join-a-committee/lay-member-indicators-advisory-committee

Please note that the deadline for applications is Monday 2nd March at 17.00.

If you have any queries please don’t hesitate to contact a member of the team at indicators@nice.org.uk

The public registration facility to observe the committee meeting for Daclatasvir for treating chronic hepatitis C opened last week.  If you would like to register for this committee meeting, please do so via the following web page: https://www.nice.org.uk/event/tacd_march_2015  

Registration will close on 18 February 2015 at 5pm.
Please note NICE may be unable to accept late requests to observe this meeting.

As a public observer, you will be able to listen to the business of the meeting, except where confidential information is being discussed, however, you will not be able to:

• participate in committee discussions
• ask questions, take part in voting or put your views to members of the committee

For further information about meetings in public please refer to the following document: Common questions and answers about meetings in public.

Should you have any queries regarding observing this meeting, please contact the Meetings in Public Coordinator, Lee Berry Lee.berry@nice.org.uk

On 5th February 2015, Public Health England published an updated report on Hepatitis C in London.  Click the link below for information.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hepatitis-c-in-london-annual-review

NHS England has opened a month-long consultation on a new service specification for hepatitis C clinical networks.  Unlike the other documents, which are being consulted upon until 30th April, the hepatitis C networks consultation has been shortened to a month to enable its implementation from April. 

Should you wish to respond, you are advised to submit any responses by the end of February 2015.

>Click here for the consultation

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!