Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to improve the standard of care available in the NHS for those suffering with liver conditions in (a) England and (b) Beckenham and Penge constituency.

The commissioning of services for liver conditions is the responsibility of integrated care systems. Integrated care systems are responsible for decisions on commissioning health services and reviewing those services to ensure they best meet the needs of their local population.

NHS England has a Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group which provides clinical advice to NHS England in support of the commissioning of specialised services. By working in partnership with key stakeholders, the Clinical Reference Group helps drive improvements in the quality, equity, experience, efficiency, and outcomes of specialised services. The Clinical Reference Group is currently reviewing its service specification in relation to liver and pancreatic care, which is scheduled for completion before the end of the current financial year.

Residents with liver conditions across the London Borough of Bromley, including those residing in Beckenham and Penge, are supported by the King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. The King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust offers a leading Liver Unit which treats a diverse range of liver conditions as well as rare diseases, alongside a tertiary treatment service for liver cancer. The trust also hosts the Institute of Liver Studies, which is a partnership between King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College London.

Liver disease is a broad term for several conditions affecting the liver and pancreas, but the most prevalent cause of liver-related ill health and death is alcohol-related liver disease.

The Department allocated local authorities £267 million in 2024/25 to improve the quality and capacity of drug and alcohol treatment and recovery. An additional £105 million from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Work and Pensions, and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is improving treatment pathways and recovery, housing, and employment outcomes for people affected by drug and alcohol use. The London Borough of Bromley was allocated £338,703 of targeted funding in 2024/25 for drug and alcohol treatment and recovery systems.