ABOUT US - RVH Liver Support Group

Who We Are

The RVH Liver Support Group is an independent Northern Ireland based registered charity (NIC100892) with a network of volunteer liver patients and their carers providing confidential, compassionate, emotional and psychological support for all adults, teenagers and children coping with any liver condition. The Group operates throughout Northern Ireland.

The Liver Support Group is non-medical and has been set up to complement and extend the support provided already by the highly professional staff at the RVH. We work closely with all of the consultants, doctors, nurses, transplant co-ordinators, dieticians and physiotherapists at the hospital.

The Group was founded in January 1998 by Kay Duffy from Moy, Co Tyrone following an ambition Kay had after her husband Frankie had a successful liver transplant in 1995. From simple beginnings the Group flourished and became a registered charity in March 2001.

The Group is managed by a totally voluntary committee comprising of the Founder, Chairman, Vice-Chairman, Secretary,Treasurer and other members. Each member within the Group has a specific area of responsibility thereby ensuring the efficient running of all support functions which are offered. As a direct result of this, administrative costs are kept to an absolute mimimum ensuring that a high percentage of all monies donated are used to help with providing much needed medical equipment, education, research and confidential patient support.

What We Do

Patient Care: First and foremost, the principal objective of the Group is to provide compassionate, emotional and psychological support to those patients, both young and old, with liver conditions and their families using personal contact or phone calls in an atmosphere of mutual respect and absolute confidentiality.
Fostering Mutual Support: The Group will always seek to provide opportunities for patients with a liver condition to offer mutual support to each other. This is usually achieved through regular members’ meetings, and a range of organised external events around the Province designed to encourage discussion and friendship among patients and their families.
Provision of Medical Equipment: Donations given are used to buy much needed pieces of equipment as requested from time to time by the Liver Unit in the RVH and the Outpatients clinic, for the benefit of patients.
Financial Support: The Group can, following strict and agreed guidelines, provide a limited level of financial assistance to patients who have to travel outside N Ireland for assessment, transplantation or other liver related treatments.
Patient Helpdesk: a manned helpdesk is provided in 6B Outpatients lobby during adult liver clinics in the Royal Victoria Hospital, together with regular attendance at the joint liver clinic at the Royal Belfast Hospital for Sick Children.
Promotion of Awareness of Liver Disease: The Group continuously raises the awareness of all liver conditions.
Organ Donation Register: The Group takes every opportunity to promote the register and its benefits in support of those in need of a transplant.
RVH Liver Consultants & Team: The Group works hand in hand with the liver consultants, transplant co-ordinators, ward staff, specialist nurses, dietitians and specialist physiotherapists in the Royal Victoria Hospital and supports them in every way possible.