Influencing policy

Three quarters of people with cirrhosis are currently detected at a late stage when it is too late for effective treatment or intervention. Yet, around 90% of liver disease can be prevented. If detected at an early stage the damage can often be reversed.

Our Make Early Diagnosis Routine campaign seeks to address this and influence Integrated Care Systems and the equivalent bodies in the devolved nations. You can support the campaign by writing to your MP and signing our Petition.

Alcohol is the main cause of people dying from liver disease. Sadly, over 7,000 people die from alcohol related liver disease each year.

We campaign for policy changes with the Alcohol Health Alliance, an alliance of more than 60 non-governmental organisations which work together to promote evidence-based policies to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.

As part of this alliance, we work with a range of partners to:

• highlight the rising levels of alcohol harm in the UK
• campaign for policy measures to reduce the damage caused by alcohol
• propose evidence-based solutions to reduce the harm caused by alcohol

We support minimum unit pricing across the whole UK, health warnings and information on labels and restrictions on alcohol advertising to protect children and vulnerable people.

We also campaign for improvements in alcohol services such as increasing the number of alcohol support teams that can support people who have problems with the amount they are drinking.

We worked with the Cross-Party Parliamentary Group on Drugs, Alcohol and Justice on a new Alcohol Charter, which sets out key policies that should inform the Government’s Alcohol Strategy.

Obesity is one of the biggest risk factors for liver disease and experts predict that over the next decade non-alcohol related fatty liver disease (NAFLD) will become the leading cause of endstage liver disease and liver transplantation in the UK.

We campaign for shifts in policy that will improve the nation’s diet and prevent obesity-related ill-health by supporting evidence-based population level policies to help address the wider environmental factors that lead to excess bodyweight. We work in partnership with the Obesity Health Alliance, a coalition of over 40 organisations working together to reduce obesity by influencing Government policy.

We campaign for measures such as action to restrict junk-food marketing and promotions that steer people towards unhealthy choices.

The last few years have seen a far more nuanced understanding of the evidence on the complexities of weight and the multiple drivers of obesity. This is leading to an appreciation of the necessity for a raft of policies that address the wider environment and put less emphasis on individual responsibility. You can read the key policies that we are calling for through the Alliance here.

We also work with professional bodies and clinicians to improve awareness of NAFLD and improve care and treatment for those affected.

Liver cancer has very poor survival rates with only 13% of people surviving for five years. As a ‘less survivable cancer’ with a five-year survival rate of less than 30% we need to improve outcomes, care and early detection of liver cancer.

We want every person with cirrhosis to receive effective surveillance or screening for liver cancer and everyone diagnosed to have the best access to care and treatment.

We campaign for improvements in the early detection and improved care for liver cancer patients in the UK with the Less survivable Cancer Taskforce.  We also work with other cancer alliances such as One Cancer Voice and the Wales Cancer Alliance.

The British Liver Trust is committed to supporting the World Health Organization’s goal to eliminate the hepatitis C virus (HCV) by 2030. 215,000 people in the UK are estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis C. Many of these are undiagnosed, yet with the right diagnosis and treatment, hepatitis C is curable, thanks to new therapies that are now available.

We want to see a more coordinated and effective approach to testing, treating and curing people with hepatitis C in the UK and greater emphasis on the prevention of new infections. We have already reduced hepatitis C mortality by 10% working with the Hepatitis C Coalition to call for a coordinated joined up strategy so that we can eliminate the virus by 2030.

We work with the Royal College of Physicians and sit on the steering group of the Improving Quality in Liver Services (IQILS) accreditation scheme.

IQILS is important because it supports hospitals to improve the quality of their liver services and drive up standards of care for people with liver conditions across the UK. Liver services across the UK are registering to work towards IQILS accreditation. To be accredited, they must meet high standards of care. These standards have been developed with the British Liver Trust and patients to ensure that accredited liver services are truly meeting patients needs.

The IQILS scheme ensures that each hospital service measures the different elements of the service that they are providing so that they can see how they are doing compared with others. It enables them to share knowledge and resources and embed what works into their daily practice.

See our FAQs here.

We work with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and healthcare professionals to help promote all aspects of organ transplantation and ensure equity of access and best outcomes for all patients requiring a liver transplant.

We regularly review and assess progress on liver transplantation and provide the patient voice on their Advisory Group.

The Trust successfully campaigned for a new opt-out system for organ donation in England which came into effect in 2020. This means consent for organ donation after death is presumed unless the person has opted-out.

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care. The Scottish equivalent is called the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC). The British Liver Trust works with NICE and the SMC on their evidence-based guidelines relating to liver disease and also provides patient  input into other guidelines produced by other bodies such as the British Society of Gastroenterology.

NICE and the SMC also undertake appraisals that assess the clinical and cost effectiveness of new medicines, procedures and treatments to decide whether they should be made available on the NHS. The Trust gathers evidence from patients and represents their views at these appraisals.