Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to support the detection of liver disease in Darlington constituency.

The Northern Cancer Alliance (NCA) is supporting services to enable the early detection of liver disease across North East and North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB). More than 80% of patients with liver cirrhosis, a type of liver disease, have been invited to monthly ultrasound surveillance. For 2024/25, the NCA has invested over £200k into trusts across the ICB to help improve their monitoring systems for cirrhosis patients. This investment has also included £30,000 for County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust who will be using their funds to improve systems in relation to call and recall of patients to their six-monthly checks.

The ICB is also enrolled in a Community Liver Health Check pilot in Newcastle, being delivered by the systems Hepatitis C Operational Delivery Networks. This will provide FibroScans in one stop community clinics where patients have relevant blood testing, liver ultrasound and other investigations as required. The pilot has expanded into North Tyneside and when resources allow, they intend to develop clinics elsewhere including Gateshead and Sunderland.