Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment has he made of the adequacy of NHS support for people with liver disease in Lincolnshire.

The commissioning of services for liver disease 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.

In Lincolnshire, the United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has a gastroenterology department that manages support and services for people with chronic liver disease, with tertiary care services for Nottingham, for non-transplant services, and Cambridge, for liver transplantation. The United Lincolnshire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust has been part of the Nottingham Operational Delivery Network since 2015 and provides a team of specialist nurses and treatment co-ordinators to work in partnership with community agencies, with the object of eradicating hepatitis C. Hepatology services at the North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust are based at Peterborough City Hospital and receive patients from Lincolnshire areas, with referrals aligned with the tertiary referral centre.

The North-West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust is seeing an increased demand for services for liver disease. The hepatology service has recently appointed two additional consultant hepatologists to improve patient experience and support, as well as the timeliness of outpatient appointments.

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. In 2024/25 the Department invested an additional £3,620,918 in alcohol and drug treatment and recovery systems in Lincolnshire.