News

If you  are nurse member of BASL member you are entitled to nominate new members for the BLNA Committee.

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. Our diverse skills that we possess, such as being person centred, collaborative, advocates, being solution focused and proactive and demonstrating emotional intelligence in response to changing needs continues 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 require 4 new committee members from April 2025 due to planned demitting, and are now seeking nominations for the following posts:

• 2 x 2-year tenure post
• 2 x 3-year tenure post

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 the UK Liver Alliance, IQILs refresh, BSG liver section etc.

Please read some of the testimonials from BLNA members who have joined the committee:  Download BLNA Committee Testimonials 2025_final.pdf

Committee members are expected to attend a monthly committee meeting held via Zoom, these take place usually on either the first or second Monday of each month from 12:00 – 13:30pm. In addition commitment is also requested from committee members to attend 2-3 other meetings each year, these may be held face to face or virtually.

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 09:00 on Monday 3rd February 2025.

It would be helpful when proposing a candidate if you can advise if they prefer to stand for a 2 year or a 3-year tenure.

A personal statement, containing no more than approx. 300 words, will be requested at the time of nomination from the candidates. Permission will be requested to share the personal statements with the BASL BLNA membership. (Personal statements are intended for this purpose only.)

If more than 4 candidates are nominated, the BASL Secretariat will arrange for an election of all BLNA members. 4 candidates will be elected by a simple majority of those BLNA members voting.

Important information -

• Newly elected BLNA committee members will be required to attend an on-boarding meeting via Zoom on Monday 24th March from 2-4pm.
• Newly elected BLNA Committee members will take over in post from 1st April 2024 and will be expected to be available to join the monthly committee meeting via Zoom which is taking place on Monday 7th April 2025 from 12:00 – 13:30pm.

BLNA Committee “Taster Experience”

Due to the success of a 1 year “taster experience”, the BLNA will be offering this role again for 2025. This role will be to join the BLNA committee on a 1-year term commencing in April 2025.

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.

BLNA Committee Taster Experience Application process

To apply for this “taster experience”, please complete the application form and submit it by email to Judy at the BASL Secretariat at judy@basl.org.uk by the deadline of 09:00 on Monday 3rd February 2025.

Download BLNA Taster Experience Application Form 2025.pdf

NB: a word copy of the application form is available from 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 Elect, 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.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact admin@basl.org.uk .

NICE is developing a guideline on Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis (NAFLD/MASH).

They are seeking a topic advisor who will attend all meetings and contribute expertise throughout the development process.

This is an online application process and details related to this role can be found here: http://healthjobsuk.com/job/v6894128 

Online applications close on 20 January 2025.

Friday 11th October 2024

Latest data reinforces calls for extension of opt-out hepatitis B testing and highlights need to resolve inequalities

New data presented today at The British Association for the Study of the Liver Annual Meeting in Harrogate has added weight to calls from the British Liver Trust for opt out blood testing to be made routinely available in all emergency departments across the UK. The research also highlights the urgent need for improvements to ensure adequate follow up and monitoring of patients who have been diagnosed with hepatitis B (HBV).

The British Liver Trust has been calling for the roll out of opt-out testing across all emergency Departments in the UK since testing for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C launched in April 2022 in Emergency Departments in areas of very high HIV diagnosed prevalence. All Emergency Department attendees over 18 years of age who were having blood tests done for any reason, were tested for HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C, unless they opted out. The initiative has unearthed a lot more cases of undetected hepatitis B than expected, resulting in a 30% increase in estimated prevalence and surge in demand for hepatitis B services.

Opt-out blood borne virus testing in Emergency departments was rolled out in areas of extremely high HIV prevalence in April 2022. This research described the cases identified through testing at two Emergency Departments in King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. In the first 18 months, out of the 837 patients who tested positive for viral hepatitis (hepatitis B or C), the majority, 715 (85%) tested positive for hepatitis B. Although 351 (42%) were already in care, almost a quarter (24%) were new diagnoses of hepatitis B, which can cause liver fibrosis, cirrhosis and liver cancer and other serious health complications if left untreated.

56 patients (8%) had previously been diagnosed but were not receiving care or treatment, and a further 40 patients (6%) could not be contacted after the positive test to check that they were aware of their diagnoses. This highlights the need for strategies to ensure that patients with hepatitis B are followed up adequately, which requires information, education and patient involvement. It also identifies the need for research into barriers to accessing care which may include stigma, discrimination and language barriers.

Pamela Healy OBE, Chief Executive at the British Liver Trust said:
“If left undetected, the hepatitis B virus can cause liver damage and increase an individual’s risk of developing liver cancer, yet thousands of people in the UK are asymptomatic and unaware they are infected with it.

This latest research reinforces what we already knew – that opt-out testing is highly effective at identifying people living with previously undiagnosed blood borne viruses, such as hepatitis B and hepatitis C, so that they can receive treatment, prevent further complications and ultimately reduce NHS spending in the long term.”

In England alone, over 200,000 people are estimated to be living with chronic hepatitis B (HBV) – the majority are undiagnosed, unlinked to care and at higher risk of premature death from cirrhosis and liver cancer.

Professor Raj Mookerjee, Secretary of the British Association for the Study of the Liver said:
“The opt-out testing programme in Emergency Departments in England has identified an unprecedented number of new cases of hepatitis B, particularly from disadvantaged groups who are less likely to come forward for routine testing, and whose only interaction with healthcare services has been via emergency departments.

Although the surge in demand for services and access to treatment has added to NHS pressures, wwe must continue to work with policy makers to identify affected patients and address the health inequalities to ensure that everyone has access to the treatment and care that they need.”

Senior author of the research, Dr Kate Childs, King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust said:
“This program has successfully identified a large number of patients with hepatitis B infection, who were either undiagnosed or not in care. Many of those tested live in areas of deprivation and have difficulty in accessing healthcare. This program empowers this group of individuals to attend for hepatitis B care, prevent onwards transmission and reduce the long-term risk of complications including liver cancer. Adequate resources are needed to ensure that hepatitis services are able to review and treat these patients in a timely manner.”

In November 2023, NHS England expanded the scope of opt-out testing for HIV and viral hepatitis in emergency departments to 47 sites across England. The British Liver Trust is calling for opt-out testing to be made routinely available across the UK.

ENDS

FOR MORE INFORMATION OR INTERVIEW REQUESTS CONTACT media@britishlivertrust.org.uk 

- QuestPrehab to begin working with 50 patients requiring liver transplantation
- First prehab service to work remotely with patients waiting on a transplant list
- The year-long trial to focus on anxiety reduction and improvement of liver frailty scores
- Potential to expand the service to patients with other liver diseases

Wednesday 17th July 2024: Kent-based telehealth company QuestPrehab has signed a contract with the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust to deliver digital prehabilitation (‘prehab’) services to liver patients across Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.

The year-long trial with the South West Liver Unit at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust will see QuestPrehab work with 50 patients undergoing assessment and listing for liver transplant. If successful, the service may be expanded to patients living with other liver diseases and who currently are not on the list.

The digital programmes and resources run by the team at QuestPrehab will be specially developed to cater for the clinical and holistic needs of liver patients in collaboration with the Plymouth-based hospital team.

Prehab is a relatively new area of healthcare that focuses on improving the general health and activity of patients before surgery / treatment as a way of aiding their recovery.

Patients who complete their prehab course prior to planned surgery are less likely to be readmitted to hospital, enjoy improved health-related quality of life, return to work earlier and need less involvement with social and primary care providers.

The aim of the trial is to demonstrate two pivotal elements:
- the feasibility of remote delivery of prehab and the benefits in health-related quality of life for patients awaiting liver transplant
- how the usually long waiting time can be utilised in a positive and clinically effective manner … 50% of patients listed for transplant typically have a wait of six months or more

“We’re very excited to have the opportunity to expand much-needed support to our patients here in the south west,” said Professor Matthew Cramp, Consultant Hepatologist at the South West Liver Unit, UHP.

“Liver transplant patients face many challenges and to be able to provide a personalised prehab service while they wait for their surgery is something we’ve been keen to offer for some time. Having the consistency of supervision by a prehab specialist we hope will lead to a lower risk of complications post-transplant and improve quality of life both pre and post-operatively.”

“The signing of this ground-breaking contract with the University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust will see us working hand-in-hand with the South West Liver Unit at Derriford Hospital to improve quality of life for their transplant patients,” said QuestPrehab founder Professor Tara Rampal. “Waiting for a liver transplant is an extremely anxious time for all patients. They face the uncertainty of when they will be called up for the transplant whilst also dealing with the consequences of advanced liver disease and the worry that their condition may deteriorate during this time.”

“Patients will receive a highly personalised programme based on four key areas – physical activity, anxiety management, diet advice and lifestyle modifications – with a goal of alleviating their level of anxiety and improving their liver frailty score.”

Each patient will be able to access their individualised programmes via QuestPrehab’s app. Exercise classes and support sessions will be delivered by a combination of phone, Zoom or Skype calls. Those patients who do not have access to suitable technology will be able to loan equipment from the South West Liver Unit during the trial at no cost to themselves.

The 12-month trial will be evaluated through standardised patient reported outcome measures and physical assessment scores.

News of the contract – the first of its kind in the UK – follows QuestPrehab’s recent deal to supply prehab services to two hospitals in China, along with its success in working with NHS oncology patients over the past four years.

Professor Tara Rampal explains: “Our service is scalable and cost efficient, making wide-scale adoption of digital prehab possible. It doesn’t require any modifications to pre-existing infrastructure, processes, patient pathways, or systems, so can be easily inserted into any healthcare provider.”

ENDS

The UK National Screening Committee’s (UK NSC’s) 2024 Annual Call for Topics is now open.

During the 3-month annual call, which closes on 30 September 2024, any individual or organisation can submit proposals to the UK NSC for:

• new screening topics
• modifications to, or the ceasing of, existing screening programmes
• early updates to screening topics that the UK NSC has considered in the past 3 years

Proposals can cover population, targeted or risk-stratified screening programmes.

Please refer to the UK NSC annual call: submitting a screening proposal guidance before making a submission.

The 2024 annual call runs from 1 July 2024 to 30 September 2024.

Please email uknsc@dhsc.gov.uk  if you have any queries about the annual call process.