Liver Disease in Primary Care - FOI Response Register

FOI request for new information on Health Board provision of patient pathways for the detection and management of liver disease in primary care.

We request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act. We are requesting a response to the attached survey questions: British Liver Trust Primary Care Pathway Survey Health Board_FINAL.docx.

Prescribed information

• The information is requested on behalf of the British Liver Trust, owner Charlotte Berry.
• Contact email address is charlotte.berry@britishlivertrust.org.uk. The British Liver Trust, Venta Court, 20 Jewry Street, Winchester, SO23 8FE.
• The information requested is in the attached survey questionnaire, which we request is completed in full.

The British Liver Trust is the UK's leading liver health charity, working to improve liver health for all and supporting those affected by liver disease and liver cancer.

One of our key campaigns is to advocate for the adoption of full patient care pathways for the early diagnosis of liver disease – make early diagnosis of liver disease routine. To do this, we need to understand the extent of Health Board guidance and the provision of patient pathways for the early detection of liver disease in primary care.

In August 2020, we conducted our first survey of Health Boards to capture the state of liver disease pathways across the UK and published our finding. The finding showed only 26% of areas had an effective pathway in place, for the detection and management of liver disease in primary care. Through conversations with local clinicians, we are aware of recent developments in liver disease services in Scotland and a reasonable period has elapsed, therefore we are now surveying all Health Boards to understand the current state of liver disease pathways and to examine whether progress has been made across the UK over the last 3 years.

Guidance for completing the survey

• Please could you provide this information for NHS Shetland Health Board
• Please respond to the survey questions on the attached document.
• We invite you to include any additional information/context to your responses to the survey questions in the space below the tick box options or in the final comments section, if needed.
• We look forward to receiving this new information not later than 20 working day following the date of receipt, which is 15 May 2023.
• On receipt of the completed survey, we will provide Health Boards with a local profile of liver disease statistics specific for your area, the headline results of the research, plus a toolkit, which includes examples of best practice.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHED SURVEY