On 20th October, representatives from the Champs Support Team attended an NHS North West Finance Directors event to raise awareness of the Collaborative’s Reduction of Harm from Alcohol programme.
The Collaborative’s ‘Lower My Drinking’ app was promoted and delegates were offered quick and non-invasive liver scans.
More than 40 delegates took up the offer of the liver scan on the day, with these being performed by a specialist liver nurse, to provide advice, guidance, and onward referral if required.
Margaret Jones, Lead Director of Public Health for Alcohol Harm
Margaret Jones, Lead Director of Public Health for Alcohol Harm, said:
“This is an important issue for the Collaborative as the North West has one of the highest mortality rates due to liver disease in England, with this being two to three times higher than the national average in many of Cheshire and Merseyside places.
“One in five adults in our subregion may be walking around with liver disease and be completely unaware, as there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. However 90% of liver disease cases are preventable, with the main causes being alcohol, obesity and viral hepatitis.”
The Collaborative has a workstream piloting scans in new settings and intends to reach out further, targeting areas of high inequalities and corresponding alcohol harms, and in doing so promote earlier detection and intervention, leading to better outcomes for patients.
For more information, please contact Ravi Menghani, Reduction of Harm From Alcohol Programme Lead via ravimenghani@wirral.gov.uk