Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has to increase the use of fibrosis assessments in primary and community care to help improve the identification of high-risk groups for liver cancer surveillance.

Community Liver Health Checks are being funded across 12 areas to identify patients with cirrhosis and advanced fibrosis, both of which are risk factors for hepatocellular carcinomas. These pilots will ensure that more people at high risk of HCC are referred onto, and continue to engage with, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended 6-monthly liver surveillance by ultrasound. Many of the patients identified by this route will also receive lifestyle advice and support which aims to reduce future cancer incidence. From June to November 2022, over 4,000 fibroscans have been delivered through the pilots, from which 494 people have been found to have cirrhosis or advanced fibrosis.