Most ICBs in England do not have effective referral pathways for diagnosing and managing liver disease, an analysis has shown.
A detailed look at a survey done by the British Liver Trust showed only 27% of ICBs had a named person responsible for liver disease.
And only half of areas in England have access to a fibrosis or liver scarring assessment which the researcher said was vital to assess early-stage disease.
Two-thirds did not have monitoring of local liver disease health statistics, despite worrying national statistics showing a 27% increase in deaths from liver disease between 2019 and 2023.
Some improvements had been made since the last survey in 2020 with the proportion of the country with no liver pathways at all falling from 58% to 36%.
But overall 80% of ICBs did not have the full range of liver pathways in place, including case finding for those most at risk, that would help prevent liver disease and deaths, the study found.
Data for Wales and Scotland shows they had far greater coverage of liver pathways, the team reported in the British Journal of General Practice.
Investment in services and diagnostics to detect liver disease early will save the NHS money in the long term as well as preventing thousands of deaths, the British Liver Trust said.
Dr Helen Jarvis, clinical advisor for the British Liver Trust and study lead, said prevention and early diagnosis was vital.
‘Everyone with liver disease, or at risk of developing it, should have access to essential medical care and advice, no matter where they live in the UK.
‘GPs and primary care professionals are working tirelessly under challenging conditions, but often within a system that limits their ability to properly diagnose and treat liver disease.’
She added that many GPs also admit to lacking the confidence and knowledge needed to diagnose and manage the condition effectively.
‘This has led to far too many cases being identified too late and at a point when treatment options are limited, resulting in thousands of avoidable deaths.
‘This work points to the urgent need for a central directive to mandate regional health bodies to develop a locally agreed pathway of care for early detection and management of their populations at risk of liver disease, with strategies including liver fibrosis risk assessment as a minimum requirement.’
Last month it was revealed how an iPhone attachment is helping to streamline cancer referrals.
In April, ICBs were told that self-referrals should increase by at least 15,000 per month by March 2025.
A version of this story was first published on our sister title Pulse.
