Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the support available to liver disease patients (a) prior to and (b) during the covid-19 outbreak; and what support his Department plans to provide those patients after the covid-19 outbreak.

No comparative assessment has been made.

During the COVID-19 outbreak, specialty guidance for patient management was published by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence to support National Health Service trusts to maintain an Alcohol Care Team (ACT) service. Guidance will be updated as necessary and is available at the following link:

https://www.nice.org.uk/Media/Default/About/COVID-19/Specialty-guides/Specialty-guide-Alcohol-Dependence-and-coronavirus.pdf

The NHS Long Term Plan sets out the commitment to optimise ACTs in the hospitals with the highest rates of alcohol dependence related harm. To support patients with all types of liver disease, the NHS RightCare Where to Look packs include a liver disease pathway to help commissioners explore potential opportunities for improvement.