| answer text |
<p>There are currently plans for 12 community diagnostic centres (CDCs) to offer FibroScan
testing, of which six are operational. A further six CDCs plan to offer this service
by the end of March 2024.</p><p>The CDC core diagnostic tests offer is based on the
recommendations in the Sir Mike Richards Review, and decisions on what tests are offered
outside of the core requirements of CDCs is taken at a local level based on need.</p><p>The
Government is working with the National Health Service to support earlier diagnosis
of liver disease and identifying patients at risk. This includes plans for upgrading
laboratory digital capabilities as part of the £2.3 billion diagnostics transformation
programme, to ensure that labs across the country have the capability to offer Intelligent
Liver Function Tests, that can effectively and quickly identify patients at high risk
of advanced fibrosis.</p><p>The Government is also working with the NHS to deliver
and consider the result from the pilot of the community liver health check programme,
which is due to deliver 22,000 FibroScans per year to communities at particular risk
of liver disease. From June 2022 to September 2023, over 26,500 FibroScans were delivered
through the pilots, and 8% of people scanned have already been enrolled into liver
surveillance programmes. The programme is being delivered across 19 areas by Hepatitis
C Operational Delivery Networks to FibroScan patients at high risk of cirrhosis or
advanced fibrosis, utilising 40 FibroScan machines.</p><p>NHS England is reviewing
existing liver diagnosis pathways as part of its wider diagnostic transformation work,
to determine what the best approach should be to identify patients at an earlier stage
of liver disease, through a liver pathway starting in primary care and involving pathology
labs and CDCs. This will include a combination of blood tests and FibroScans.</p>
|
|
