The British Liver Trust has been making great progress with our make early diagnosis of liver disease routine campaign, which we launched in Parliament back in April 2022.
The focus of this ongoing campaign is on pushing for the earlier detection of liver disease and on improving liver disease health outcomes nationwide. The British Liver Trust’s objective is to ensure health bodies have ways of detecting and diagnosing liver disease earlier – ultimately saving lives.
We have been overwhelmed by the campaign support we have received. Since the launch of the campaign, thanks to the 30,000 signatures we received in response to our petition and through our continued political outreach, we have been able to spotlight our campaign and move the topic of earlier diagnosis of liver disease and liver cancer up the political agenda. Just last week we held our first ever Westminster Hall debate on Diagnosis of Liver Disease and Liver Cancer. The event was well attended by MPs from various political parties and our campaign was a focal point of this debate, alongside the levelling up agenda.
Speaking about the Westminster Hall debate, Pam Healy, CEO of the British Liver Trust said:
“I was delighted to attend the Westminster Hall debate and to hear cross-party MPs acknowledge the disparities in access to liver disease services and make reference to our campaign to Make Early Diagnosis of Liver Disease Routine. Shockingly, only 26% of local health bodies in the UK have a full patient care pathway in place for the early detection and management of liver disease. If the Government is going to deliver on its ambition to ‘level up’ health, it’s crucial that every ICS and Health Board across the UK have established an effective pathway in place. This debate would not have been possible without the continuous support from patients – helping to raise awareness among politicians of the incomplete liver disease pathways across the country.”