Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what steps his Department is taking to support patients with cirrhosis liver conditions.

NHS England, Public Health England (PHE) and the Department are working jointly with stakeholders to make sure that patients with liver disease, including cirrhosis, are supported. This work includes taking forward the recommendations of the recent Lancet Commission report on liver disease in the United Kingdom. In addition, PHE is working with stakeholders to develop a liver disease framework.

We are also taking action to prevent people developing liver disease in the first place by tackling two of the main causes of liver disease – obesity and alcohol misuse. This includes:

- our Call to Action on Obesity, which sets out two national ambitions for a downward trend in level of excess weight in children and adults by 2020;

- our Alcohol Strategy, which aims to cut the number of people drinking above the lower-risk guidelines; and

- PHE’s five outcome focussed priorities which includes helping people to live longer and more healthy lives by reducing preventable deaths and the burden of ill health associated with, amongst others, alcohol.

In addition, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is developing clinical guidance on the assessment and management of cirrhosis. The guidance is due to be published in May 2016.