Written question WQ88693
- Asked by
- Joel JamesConservative
- To be answered by
- Minister for Health and Social Services
- Tabled
- Due
- Answered
- Time to answer
- 12 days
Question
Will the Minister provide a) an update on progress made in the transition from the Liver Disease Implementation Group to the Liver Disease Implementation Network and b) clarity on whether there are continuity funding arrangements?
Answer
Answered by Minister for Health and Social Services
The Welsh Government continues to support early diagnosis of liver disease in at-risk populations. Funding was made available for health boards to recruit staff to reduce waiting times for non-invasive detection of chronic liver disease through Transient Elastography (TE). Work has also been done to roll out a blood profile test for those unsuitable for TE. In addition, funding has been provided to support the “Love your Liver” campaign run by the British Liver Trust. The campaign includes roadshows within the community with the offer of immediate TE to those at risk.
We have worked closely with the Value in Health team to develop a liver disease national dashboard for Wales. The dashboard was launched in January and provides insight into liver disease prevalence, incidence, and mortality link factors such as socioeconomic deprivation indices in Wales. As the dashboard is further developed, it will support better understanding of liver disease services in Wales and will provide valuable information to inform planning and resourcing, including regional approaches to service provision where appropriate.