Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure primary care clinicians receive training to distinguish symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis from perimenopause, and to support early diagnosis and timely referral for women affected by the condition.

We remain committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis. One of the four priorities of the UK Rare Diseases Framework is increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. Our fourth England action plan, published in February 2025, reports on progress.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has a holistic curriculum of training, with a specific section on women’s health, including menopause. To support practicing general practitioners, the RCGP has developed a Women’s Health Library with educational resources and guidelines on women’s health, which includes a specific section on menopause.

Primary biliary cholangitis has a set of commonly found symptoms, and work is underway to raise awareness of them. NHS England, through the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group, is working closely with partners to raise awareness and understanding of primary biliary cholangitis and its treatments. Plans include the production of a treatment algorithm for use by emergency departments, which may also be helpful for general practitioners.