Shaping policy for all liver disease patients

The UK Liver Alliance plays a pivotal role in raising the profile of liver disease across Westminster and the devolved governments. We drive policy development, champion patient-centred advocacy, and lead impactful campaigns aimed at addressing the growing burden of liver disease. The Alliance also works closely with the NHS and key policy-makers to ensure patients are at the centre of policy, care and services.

The Alliance is especially focused on improving early detection and diagnosis of liver disease and patient care pathways to ensure there are effective assessments for fibrosis in primary settings and that patients at risk of liver disease are better identified. We work closely with NHS England, Scotland and Wales on improving diagnostic pathways for liver disease and liver cancer. We engage and inform NHS pilot studies to better diagnose and target liver checks in community settings for those at risk. We also seek to reduce health inequalities and promote health equity through our work. The Alliance is committed to ensure there is a robust understanding of the hepatology workforce needs – to deliver optimal and responsive patient centred care and services.

We regularly meet with health ministers and cabinet secretaries, senior civil servants and NHS leadership to advocate for policy change and collaborate on pathway developments, quality statements, plans and policy levers to improve patient care, early diagnosis and services. The Alliance also makes submissions to key consultations on shaping the future of the NHS.

Liver disease is now one of the biggest causes of death in working-age adults and liver cancer is the fastest rising cause of cancer death in the UK. Liver disease disproportionately impacts some of our most disadvantaged, deprived and marginalised communities. The UK Liver Alliance is committed to improving health equity and tackling health inequalities, and variations in care.

Patient advocate Monica sharing her lived experience in Parliament at the launch of a policy report.

Our work

  • Advocating for policy and legislative change.
  • Raising awareness through events, meetings, debates, consultations, letters to ministers and parliamentary questions.
  • Co-producing policy reports from inception to launch.
  • Collaborating with government bodies and the NHS to ensure patients remain at the heart of health policy.
  • Engaging senior politicians and policy-makers.

Our focus

  • Improving early detection and diagnosis of liver disease.
  • Improving health equity and tackling health inequalities.
  • Ensuring an appropriate hepatology workforce to meet patient need.

Driving policy change

The work of the UK Liver Alliance has contributed to the delivery of:

  • Transformative status for liver disease. The Clinical Reference Group for liver disease has secured approval for transformative status which will unlock a generational opportunity to make a step-change in liver disease services.
  • NHS England’s Community Liver Health Check programme. Delivering non-invasive liver scans (e.g. FibroScans) to at-risk communities and the referral of patients to surveillance where necessary. The pilot has delivered around 125,000 FibroScans and 7,000 people have been enrolled into liver cancer surveillance.
  • Intelligent liver function tests will be rolled out across England, through upgrades to laboratories funded through the £2.3 billion investment in NHS diagnostic transformation, and in Scotland, through the coordination of the national Centre for Sustainable Delivery Specialty Delivery Group for Liver Disease.
  • The wider use of non-invasive liver scans in community settings.