Sound the Alarm – Campaign Aims
We’re calling on the government to agree to implement the following comprehensive set of clear recommendations to address the current issues with late diagnosis, access to support and lack of specialist care.
10 key changes
1
Every GP practice should have an agreed way of finding patients at risk, testing, following up and managing, and referring to secondary care when necessary.
2
The NHS (over 40’s) Health Check in England and other regular checks across the devolved nations should be routinely used to find those at risk.
3
Automated processes need to be put in place in primary care to identify those at risk of liver disease, to include the correct blood tests and to manage appropriate follow-up.
4
Every primary care provider to have direct access to a best practice fibrosis assessment.
5
Every Trust to have alcohol care teams to support those who drink too much and to refer those who have alcohol related liver disease to specialised liver teams.
6
Better access for people who are overweight to nutritional advice and weight management programmes.
7
Every hospital should have a designated liver lead who can refer to a hepatologist or specialist centre if need be.
8
More hepatology consultants are needed so every patient gets access to specialist support
9
Every person with cirrhosis should have access to a specialist nurse.
10
Improved awareness in A & E so those who are diagnosed in an emergency are immediately referred to a specialist to give them the best chance of survival.
Support the campaign
The clock is ticking – we can’t afford to wait any longer. We must take action today to save lives in the future.
Sound the Alarm campaign is backed by top liver specialists in the UK, including The British Association for the Study of Liver Disease (BASL) and the British Society of Gastroenterologists (BSG) and Foundation for Liver Research.
