3 UK wins in Practice to Policy Health Awards

Intercept has announced the winners of its 2017 Practice to Policy Health Awards Programme in Europe and Canada. In the UK funding was awarded to projects from three organisations:

• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: A Cholestatic Symptoms Clinic for the East of England – A pilot for a Cholestatic Symptoms Clinic as part of the Cambridge AILD service. The symptoms clinic will be focused on the management of AILD patients from the East of England with significant symptoms, such as fatigue and especially cholestasis.
• The PBC Foundation: Breaking down barriers to information: PBC Resource translation – The aim of this project is to allow people around the world to access the most up to date and reliable information regarding PBC. This will happen through the translation of the organisation's compendium and app into nine different languages. In doing so, it will give people a greater level of control over their own health and well-being.
• Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: Linking patients into NHS England operational delivery networks for PBC therapy – The project will link patients through the already established operational delivery network (ODN) within NHS England, so they can act as a support network within each other’s care journey. This will encourage patient engagement within their own care which is critical in ensuring equitable access to information and care. The project will also use the ODN as a platform to assess existing M2 anti-mitochondrial antibody data to identify any potential patients not currently being treated for their PBC.

The Practice to Policy awards programme was first launched in 2016 to support the development of innovative solutions which encourage high-standards of primary biliary cholangitis (PBC) patient care.

In its second year the programme invited applications focused on initiatives which empowered PBC patients, receiving 23 applications from 10 countries. Out of the diverse submissions received, 9 winning organisations were selected for funding by the programme’s panel of judges, chaired by Lisa Bright, President, International at Intercept. Judges included Intercept representatives, patient group leaders and PBC experts, including a representative from the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL).

Bright commented: "Through the Practice to Policy Programme, we’re committed to supporting locally based, innovative projects which further enhance support to people with PBC – be they projects with patients, community organisations, healthcare professionals or a combination. It’s great to see the level of enthusiasm for the programme again this year, where the real benefit will come from the broader project learnings – what worked, what didn’t and how can that accelerate adoption of innovation between countries."

Stewart Sharpe, Intercept's Regional Vice President, UK & Ireland, Nordics & Australasia, and General Manager UK & Ireland, added: "It is hugely encouraging to see that a third of the winning applicants selected for funding by the international panel are UK organizations. This clearly reflects the level of interest in the management of PBC within the UK, the high quality of the applications and the desire of the clinical and patient group community to improve outcomes for patients with PBC.’"