Asked by: Wayne David (Labour - Caerphilly)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the Lancet Commission report on liver disease, published on 27 November 2014.
Answered by Jane Ellison
Whilst NHS England is responsible for the overall national approach to improving clinical outcomes for people with liver disease, Public Health England (PHE) is working with the Lancet Commission on Liver Disease. This work involves regular meetings with Professor Richard Williams, (Lead, Lancet Standing Commission into Liver Disease in the UK), and attending action planning meetings.
PHE is working with NHS England and liver charities to respond to the key recommendations of the Lancet Commission and will produce a Liver Disease Framework in summer 2015 outlining the scope of its activities.
This will cover PHEs extensive programme of activities to tackle the three main risk factors for liver disease: alcohol, obesity and Hepatitis B & C; work with the Lancet Commissioners and GPs to strengthen detection and interventions for early stage liver disease and for identification of high risk patients; support a national needs assessment for liver disease services in the NHS.