News
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Jan
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The scope and remit of liver nurses is diversifying year on year, and we remain constant in the care and management of people with and at risk of liver disease. The diverse skills that we possess, such as being person centred, collaborative, advocates, solution focused, proactive, and demonstrating emotional intelligence in response to changing needs continue to be showcased by liver nurses locally across all four nations of the UK.
The BLNA are seeking liver nurses with a drive and enthusiasm to be involved on a national level in supporting, educating and demonstrating leadership for the liver nurse community.
The BLNA Committee requires 2 new committee members from April 2026 due to planned demitting, and are now seeking nominations for the following posts:
• 2 x 2-year tenure posts
This is an exciting opportunity for liver nurses to get involved with our friendly committee and share their skills and experience. You will gain experience working collaboratively and strategically at a national level to ensure that the needs of people with or at risk of liver disease and liver nurses are represented at the highest levels in the UK. The BLNA are key participants in several workstreams including the UK Liver Alliance, IQILs refresh, BSG liver section, BASL X-tra, RCN competence framework etc.
Expectations of committee members:
To attend monthly committee meetings held via Zoom, these take place usually on either the first or second Monday of each month; 13:00-14:30pm for full committee meetings or 12:30-13:30pm for interim committee meetings, these alternate each month
To attend the BLNA annual meeting and at least 1 face to face committee meeting each year. The planning, organisation and delivery of the BLNA annual meeting is a fundamental element of our responsibilities.
To attend additional meetings and complete associated workload necessary to the BLNA workstreams mentioned above.
To contribute to the review of abstract submissions for the BLNA annual meeting.
To contribute to the judging of applications for national awards recognising excellence and innovation in Hepatology.
To contribute to the planning and delivery BASL / BLNA webinars.
To provide content for the BLNA newsletter.
To contribute to articles related to liver nursing for publication in professional journals.
Please read some of the testimonials from BLNA members who have joined the committee: Download BLNA_Committee_Testimonials2026.pdf
If you are interested in joining the BLNA Committee, you must be a registered nurse with an interest in liver care and be a BLNA member.
BLNA Committee Member Nomination Process
Candidates wishing to be considered for election require one BLNA member to propose them, and a second BLNA member to confirm their suitability for the role in writing, by email.
Please note to be eligible to nominate, both the proposer and seconder must be a registered nurse and any nomination should include your NMC PIN number.
Email your nominations, including your NMC PIN number, to Judy at the BASL Secretariat at judy@basl.org.uk by the deadline of 23:59hrs on Monday 9th February 2026.
A personal statement, containing no more than approx. 300 words, is requested at the time of nomination from the candidates. The personal statements will be shared with the BASL BLNA membership should an election take place. (Personal statements are intended for this purpose only.)
If more than 2 candidates are nominated, the BASL Secretariat will arrange for an election of all BLNA members. 2 candidates will be elected by a simple majority of those BASL BLNA members voting.
Important information -
Newly elected BLNA committee members will be required to attend an On-boarding meeting via Zoom on Monday 23rd March from 2-4pm.
Newly elected BLNA Committee members will take over in post from 1st April 2026 and will be expected to be available to join the monthly committee meeting via Zoom which is taking place on Monday 13th April 2026 from 13:00 – 14:30pm.
BLNA Committee “Taster Experience”
Due to the success of a 1 year “taster experience”, the BLNA will be offering this role again for 2026. This role will be to join the BLNA committee on a 1-year term commencing in April 2026.
This “taster experience” would suit a registered nurse who is either under 5 years qualified, or new to the area of liver care, may be working in a ward environment (liver or gastro), or newly appointed liver related CNS. You will receive mentorship and support to assist you to gain insight, experience and develop skills in educational delivery and support for liver nurses; as well as increase your knowledge and understanding of strategic working at a national level.
The dates set out above in the important information also apply to this post.
Application process
To apply for this “taster experience”, please complete the application form below and submit it by email to Judy at the BASL Secretariat at judy@basl.org.uk by the deadline of 23:59hrs on Monday 9th February 2026.
Download BLNA_Taster_Experience_Application_Form_2026.pdf
(If you require a word version of the application form please contact admin@basl.org.uk)
The BLNA committee will make a decision based upon the information included in the application form as to a suitable candidate for the 1-year term.
Dianne Backhouse, BLNA Chair, is happy for members who are interested in joining the committee or applying for the taster experience to contact her if they have any questions, you can reach Dianne at dianne.backhouse@nhs.net or you can speak to one of the BLNA committee members, see the testimonials for members contact email addresses.
BASL is committed to promoting equality, diversity and inclusion in all aspects of its work. It is actively promoting equal opportunities and access for all our members regardless of their background. We would, therefore, encourage you to consider joining the BLNA committee to help to shape the future of BASL, BLNA and liver nursing in the UK, and increase our inclusivity/inclusiveness.
Dec
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This scheme will offer approximately 10 bursaries a year to health care professionals working with people diagnosed with or at elevated risk of liver disease, to encourage and enable the professionals to develop their counselling skills to help them support these individuals in modifying their lifestyle to reduce their risk.
The bursary will cover the fees for an on-line certified course in Motivational Interviewing. The scheme is aimed at both professionals working in acute hospital services and also professionals working in the community including in organisations such as drug and alcohol services.
Applicants will have a choice between a one-day interactive online course offered by ETAL training on specific dates or a recorded course offered by APT constituting 18 hours of CPD which can be accessed anytime and taken in stages.
Bursaries will be awarded throughout the year. Applicants working in the Staffordshire area will have priority; applications from elsewhere in the UK will be considered. Decisions on awards will be made by a committee of people with experience working in hospitals and the primary care sector. The bursaries will be awarded from a fund held for this scheme by the British Liver Trust.
Awardees will be expected to provide a feedback report after they have completed the course in order to provide an audit trail for the expenditure of the charitable donations and also to enable us to assess the impact of the bursaries.
Applicants should complete this online form: Application Form.
Read more about Dr Alison Brind > here
If you have any questions about the bursary or the application process, please contact alisonbursary@gmail.com
(Added 15.12.25)
Sep
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Nominations are now open for The British Journal of Nursing Awards 2026!
Please nominate for the Gastrointestinal Nurse of the Year category
Gastrointestinal nurses carry out vital work across a multitude of specialisms and duties, including improving patient outcomes, promoting self-management and educating individuals on the nature and course of their conditions. This award recognises an individual or team who have made a significant impact in the provision, assessment or development of gastroenterological, liver and IBD-related care.
Visit the BJN website for all of the information and how to enter HERE
Entries close on 7th November 2025!
The BJN Awards will be held at BMA House in London on Friday, 20th March 2026, celebrating excellence in research and practice while recognising outstanding achievements across the nursing community.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please email nurseledconferences@markallengroup.com .
Dec
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On 28 November 2017, the project leads for the Shared Care Liver Project (SCLP) held a showcase event in Basildon to highlight and disseminate the joint work of St Luke’s Hospice and Basildon Hepatology team.
The SCLP has been running since 2015 and is a unique and innovative project which offers early palliative care interventions and support to patients with Advanced Liver Disease (ALD) and their carers.
The award winning project was funded by The Health Foundation and supported by Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Unit (MCPCRU) and has played an important part in informing the national picture on the care of those with ALD.
More than 50 attended from both the Hospice/palliative care and hepatology disciplines. The afternoon included speakers from The Health Foundation and MCPCRU.
The quantative outcome data was presented and highlighted that the project cohort demonstrated improved compliance and often stabilised when offered a multi-disciplinary supportive care approach from the Hospice in addition to their Hepatology services. Significantly, 100% of the cohort had end of life conversations and 68% completed planning documents which included Preferred Priorities for Care documentation and DNACPR documentation.
Qualitative outcome data highlighted themes such as ‘improvement in continuity of care’ and ‘not feeling judged’.
Both the Basildon Hepatology and Hospice teams highlighted the wealth of reciprocal learning gained throughout the project, with enhanced communication being highlighted as key to the success of the project.
The project team will now be focusing on publication of their findings and further dissemination. Further funding is also being sort to continue with development and dissemination of the model.
Virginia Campbell – Advanced Nurse Practitioner St Luke’s Hospice Basildon – co-project lead
virginiacampbell@stlukeshospice.co.uk
Sharon Quinn – Assistant Director of Clinical Care & Quality – St Luke’s Hospice, Basildon – co-project lead
sharonquinn@stlukeshospice.co.uk .
Sep
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We are pleased to announce the official launch of the British Liver Nurses Association (BLNA). As you may already be aware, the BLNA is the new national liver nurses group, founded following the merger of the British Liver Nurses Forum (BLNF) and the British Association for the Study of the Liver Nurses Forum (BASLNF).
After 2-3 years of collaborative working, the BLNF and BASLNF members reached a stage where their aims and objectives for liver nursing were such that it was agreed to unite so as to provide one powerful voice to raise the profile of liver nursing, across the UK.
The BLNA is a professional nursing association run by its members for its members and promises to continue to offer professional support for nurses working within all fields of liver disease. The BLNA will take forward the shared values and strengths from both BASLNF and BLNF and together with and on behalf of its members, will ensure opportunities are available to share best practice, as well as attend educational meetings, with the ultimate aim of improving standards of liver care to all people affected by liver disease.
The BLNA, also promises to continue to maintain and develop strong links with all those professional and charitable groups, locally, nationally and internationally. We look forward to working with you all, in the future.
Kind regards,
Fiona Fry and Michelle Clayton.
Co-chairs BLNA
Mar
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Congratulations to the liver nurses who were shortlisted at the BJN Awards for the Hepatology/Liver Nurse Award:
1st place: Tara Rees
Tara developed a nurse-led paracentesis service for patients with advanced liver disease and has shared her protocols across Wales.
2nd place: Linda Porter and Sarah Tarff
Linda and Sarah provide an innovative community HCV clinic that has allowed for contact and treatment of a large and hitherto poorly served and socially disadvantaged population with significant disease burden and largely preventable health-economic impact to the wider NHS.
3rd place: Michelle Clayton
Michelle has recently been approached as one of only seven nurses in Europe to set up a Concerted Action Group for the European Association of the Study of the Liver.
Photos of the event can be viewed > here.
Mar
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BASLNF and BLNF Merger – Survey Results
A big thank you to all those who completed the recent survey regarding the proposed merger of the BASLNF with the BLNF. We now have the results and I can confirm that 100% of those who completed the survey support the merger.
In the next few weeks I will be back in touch with more details on the timelines for the merger, including the priorities for the new group; launch dates and membership details. I will ensure that this is all as seamless as possible.
The survey has given us a lot of ideas on areas where we need to be focusing on in the future and as always I welcome your input and suggestions.
May
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BASL Nurse Forum Ward Membership is here, join today:
- £100 per annum for up to 5 members per ward
- Names of up to 5 ward members can be added at any point in the same membership year, up to the max of 5
- Ward member names can be updated annually
- Ward member benefits include; access to the Nurse e-learning toolkits on the BASL website, reduced fees at BASL Events including the Nurses Day at the Annual Meeting in September, and BASL member e-newsletters
- Payments can be made by invoice.
Sign up your Ward today by sending an email to jane.douthwaite@execbs.com. A main point of contact for the Ward is required who will be contacted by the BASL Secretariat to obtain further details to set up the Ward Membership.
