Nearly half of the British Liver Trust Helpline callers had not received the immediate help they needed in signposting from their GPs and navigating the NHS (43%).
This figure was closely followed by people wanting more information on tests and investigations (29%), and requiring emotional support (18%).
Andrew Langford, CEO, The British Liver Trust said “These figures show the need for our nurse-led Helpline. Support of this type is vital as liver disease is the third leading cause of premature death in the UK.”
This is an example of the type of call the British Liver Trust Helpline nurse receives:
“A call came from a lady whose husband had just been told he had liver cancer by a specialist. The couple were so traumatised by this news that they did not ask any questions about the condition and hurried out of the consultant’s office. Our Liver Health Nurse Advisor listened, and then talked through exactly what the cancer meant and some of the possible treatments the specialist may be able to offer. Our advisor discussed making a list of ‘useful questions’ for when they next saw the specialist and other possible services they could be referred to. They were both very grateful ‘to have someone to really talk to’ and for the information.”
The Masonic funding guarantees the British Liver Trust Helpline’s accessibility for the next year. Geoff Tuck from Bournemouth Freemasons said, “We are pleased to be able help provide such a valuable service, which will benefit so many people over the next year.”
Andrew Langford continues, “We are grateful to Bournemouth Freemasons, supporting us to run the Helpline for the next year and enabling us to help even more individuals and health care professionals".
“We reach over a million people each year, increasing awareness is our biggest mission. Over 90% of liver disease is preventable and we need to send out this message out – this will only be possible with the help of donations big and small to fund our work - and we will make a difference.”
The British Liver Trust Helpline
Call free on 0800 652 7330 Monday – Friday, between 10am and 3pm
Email: helpline@britishlivertrust.org.uk
The British Liver Trust’s new nurse-led Helpline is funded for a year with a donation of £41,842 from the Freemasons.