20/10/2009

National Liver Strategy Announced

The Department of Health has announced plans to recruit a new National Clinical Director to lead the development of a National Strategy for tackling liver disease.

Liver disease is the fifth most common cause of death in England. The growth in the disease is largely fuelled by lifestyle factors, such as excessive drinking and obesity, and it currently costs the NHS £460 million a year.

The department has announced plans to recruit a National Clinical Director in the next few months to develop a strategy to effectively combat liver disease and oversee its implementation.

Health Minister Ann Keen said: "Liver disease is the only one of the top five causes of death which is continuing to affect more people every year at an increasingly young age. We know that by identifying people earlier, encouraging people to change their behaviour and making sure the right services are in the right place, we can improve the quality of care and stop the rise in this disease.

"By appointing a National Clinical Director to oversee the development of a strategy we will ensure that clinical evidence and outcomes for patients are at the heart of our work to improve the quality of services to tackle liver disease."

The average death from liver disease is 59, compared to 82 for heart disease and 84 for stroke. The disease is largely preventable and can be treated if diagnosed sufficiently early.

Obesity is a rising cause of the disease, with Non Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) becoming a growing concern amongst liver specialists.

Professor Rajiv Jalan, Secretary of the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL), welcomed the government's announcement. Professor Jalan said: "We are concerned about the growing impact of liver disease. We look forward to working with the National Clinical Director and Department of Health to ensure that the strategy delivers the changes that we need."

(KMcA/BMcC)

Related UK National News Stories
Click here for the latest headlines.

22 May 2008
Alcohol Related Admissions Increasing, Report Finds
A report released today reveals that alcohol related admissions have increased dramatically since 1995. The NHS report shows that alcohol was the main or secondary cause of 207,800 NHS admissions between 2006 and 2007 compared to just 93,500 between 1995 and 1996.
21 November 2012
Warnings Issued Over Rise In Liver Disease
England is one of the few places in Europe seeing a major preventative disease getting worse, the chief medical officer says. In her annual report Prof Dame Sally Davies highlighted the rise in liver-disease deaths in the under-65s - up 20% in a decade. In comparison, most of the rest of Europe has seen rates fall.
30 September 2005
UK hepatitis C ‘time bomb’ warning
The UK is facing a hepatitis C ‘time bomb’, a new report has warned. The report, conducted by the Hepatitis C Trust, compared the UK to France, Germany, Italy and Spain, and found that Britain was at the bottom of each league table when it came to tackling the disease.
14 March 2011
More Help To Fight Heart Disease And Stroke
A new tool to help the NHS better treat cardiovascular disease in every area of the country was launched by the Department of Health today. The online tool, compiled by the South East Public Health Observatory, allows for comparisons across the country in a bid to drive up standards and better target resources.
22 June 2010
Cut Saturated Fat Levels Says NICE
Tens of thousands of lives could be saved, and millions of people spared the suffering of living with the effects of heart disease and stroke, simply by producing healthier food says new National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidance today.