<p> Meeting of Consultative Council on Hepatitis C 3rd July 2007, Room 9.42 Department of Health and Children</p><p>Present: Dr. Elizabeth Kenny (Chair) Consultant in Gastroenterology & Hepatology, Cork University Hospital Ms. Joanne Deveney Executive Member, Positive Action Ms. Siobhan O’Connor Executive Member, Positive Action Mr. Michael Madigan Executive Member, Transfusion Positive Ms. Mary Rowe Executive Member, Transfusion Positive Mr. Mike Kelly Renal Counsellor, Irish Kidney Association Ms. Mary Rowe Executive Member, Transfusion Positive Ms. Margaret Dunne Administrator, Irish Haemophilia Society Mr. John Murphy Laboratory Technician, Cork Institute of Technology Ms. Michele Tait Hepatitis C Liaison Officer, Health Service Executive Ms. Kate Frazer School of Nursing & Midwifery, University College Dublin Ms. Margaret Scarry Clinical Nurse Specialist, University College Hospital, Galway</p><p>Apologies Mr. Noel Richardson Men’s Health Researcher, Health Service Executive Mr. Ian Carter CEO, St. James Hospital Mr. Damien Lowry Psychologist, Mater Hospital Dr. Suzanne Norris Consultant Hepatologist, St. James Hospital Ms. Lara Hynes Blood Policy Division, Department of Health and Children</p><p>In attendance: Fiona O’Connell, Health Services Executive (Secretary to Consultative Council) </p><p>1. Minutes Minutes of previous meeting were agreed and adopted with slight typo corrected.</p><p>2. Report from the Working Groups</p><p>A) Information Day 2008 Working Group Croke Park has been secured for the Information day scheduled to take place on February 16th 2008. The Information Day Group will be meeting shortly to discuss programme and format. The launch of the Database Annual Report will be a focus of the Day along with the Insurance Scheme, additional workshop topics have yet to be confirmed.</p><p>B) International Conference June 2009 Working Group The first meeting of this working group will take place in the I.H.S Offices on 10th August, the group will be co-chaired by Dr. Kenny and Ms Tait . Suggested speakers and topics have been circulated to Council members and further suggestions should be forwarded to Fiona. Dr. Kenny and Ms. Tait met with Michael Boland of the ICGP to discuss GP attendance and involvement at the conference ( half-day focused workshop for GP’s & practice nurses ). The meeting went well and Dr. Kenny and Michele have also been invited to come along and present sessionson Hepatitis C at either of the Annual ICGP meetings and possibly through the ‘GP Tutor’ Programme. A further meeting is scheduled for 5th September in the ICGP Offices. </p><p>C) National Consultants Committee Working Group There will be an update at the next Council meeting when the group have met.</p><p>D) Management of Death Working Group Dr. Kenny was unable to attend the last meeting of this goup. The draft document is sill being progressed and Dr. Kenny will report back to Council after the next meeting. </p><p>3. Insurance Scheme Update One insurance company has already signed up to the scheme ( Eagle Star ). An insurance meeting will take place later this evening, 3rd July. The draft Service Level Agreement is still being progressed and once that is signed off the commencement date can be confirmed. Travel insurance will follow. </p><p>4. Consultative Council Annual Report 2005 & 2006 The Consultative Council Annual Reports have been drafted, they will be circulated for comment ASAP with an urgent signoff request from Council members. Once signed off the reports will be submitted to the Minister. </p><p>5. AOB Mary Dunworth, Clinical Nurse Co-ordinator has today submitted her report on the Home Nursing Pilot project to Council. The report will not be circulated until the HSE’s evaluation of the pilot is complete and then both will be circulated together for consideration. </p><p>6. Date of next meeting: The date is tbc pending confirmation of launch date for the National hepatitis C Database.</p><p>****</p><p>7. Dr. Lelia Thornton and Niamh Murphy from the HPSC National Hepatitis C Database gave a presentation of the preliminary findings from the Database. Council members expressed their appreciation for a most interesting presentation. The data so far is very exciting an of excellent quality; it is expected results the database report will produce should generate many platforms for research. </p><p>It is suggested that a patient consent form should be included in patient bulletins which are distributed by the Four Support Groups. The database team are constantly looking to further the consent rate and hopefully the launch of the report plus the Information Day which is planned for next year will encourage those who have not yet consented to do so. Once the Annual Report is launched in September the Database team will begin work on a scientific paper.</p><p>The powerpoint presentation will not be attached to these minutes as it contains only preliminary results and the main report will be launched in September.</p>