Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the impact of the covid-19 pandemic on patients with liver disease and the recent ONS data showing a 20 per cent increase in alcohol-related liver disease deaths in 2020.

Rates of admission to hospital where the primary diagnosis was liver disease decreased in 2020-21 compared with 2019-20. Rates of admission to hospital for alcoholic liver disease increased over the same period.

The government published a report in July 2021 on the changes of alcohol consumption and harm during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deaths from alcoholic liver disease in 2020 accounted for 80.3% of total alcohol specific deaths. In 2020, there were 5,608 deaths from alcoholic liver disease, a 20.8% increase from the 4,643 deaths in 2019. The increase has been linked with to increased alcohol consumption among heavy drinkers.

The report is available at the following link:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/alcohol-consumption-and-harm-during-the-covid-19-pandemic