Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of provision for the early diagnosis of liver disease by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board; and what steps his Department is taking to support that Integrated Care Board to improve early identification and treatment.

Locally, the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board (ICB) is implementing the NHS Long Term Plan’s commitments on earlier diagnosis of liver diseases. This includes expanding access to non-invasive testing in primary care and community diagnostic centres delivering liver function tests and fibroscans in community environments. The ICB is also promoting consistent use of risk stratification tools, improving care navigation into specialist hepatology services via advice and guidance, and strengthening data infrastructure so systems can better target those at highest risk.

Nationally, NHS England has commenced a programme of work on the transformation of liver services led by the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group (HPB CRG). The HPB CRG is working with partners to co-produce resources to raise public knowledge and awareness of all forms of liver disease.

The HPB CRG is also aiming to improve the early diagnosis and intervention through developing evidence-based best-practice pathways for both primary care and referral to secondary care services.