This week we attended BASL 2025, a liver conference at the ICC, Waterfront Belfast. What is BASL I hear you ask. Well, it stands for the British Association for the Study of the Liver! This is the first time that it has been held in Belfast and , as a charity associated with the liver, we were proud to be in attendance at the event.

Medical staff from all over the UK attend this conference each year where everyone is kept up to date on all of the recent medical research, interventions and treatment therapies.

During the course of the week we met liver professionals from all over the UK and Ireland and informed them of what we do for all liver patients in N Ireland.

We would like to thank our consultants and all of the staff from the Province’s hospitals who came visit us at our table.

RVH Liver Support Group have brought together several information publications to help you better understand fatty liver disease, what causes it and how to lessen the potential risks. It is an entirely preventable liver condition that can lead, if it goes unchecked, to more serious liver conditions such as cirrhosis. You can either read these online right now or download and peruse at your convenience later.

Fatty Liver Disease Explained

Discuss Fatty Liver Disease with your GP

How can I help my liver?

How to eat healthy to reduce fatty liver

Exercises to reduce fatty liver disease

Today is GLOBAL FATTY LIVER DAY . It is aimed at raising awareness about fatty liver disease and promoting  healthier lifestyle choices.

Fatty liver disease, now known as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is a mounting health issue in the United Kingdom. Affecting up to one in three adults, it’s primarily driven by the rising prevalence of obesity and sedentary lifestyles. Unlike alcohol-related liver conditions, MASLD is not caused by excessive alcohol consumption but by fat accumulation in the liver.

The disease progresses through stages, starting with simple steatosis, where fat builds up without causing major harm. If unchecked, it can advance to non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (MASH), causing liver inflammation.

Risk factors for fatty liver disease include obesity, type 2 diabetes, high cholesterol, and high blood pressure. Lifestyle factors play a crucial role, and early stages often show no symptoms, making it a silent threat.

Prevention and management focus on lifestyle changes, such as maintaining a healthy weight, eating a balanced diet, and engaging in regular physical activity. Even a daily ten-minute walk can significantly reduce the risk. Education and awareness are key to tackling this growing health concern in the UK.

And here is a story of someone who has had to deal with the loss of a family member because  diagnosis with fatty liver came  too late.

If only we had known the signs………..

ENCOMPASS is the new digital recording system for patient records and it is now live within all of the hospital trusts within Northern Ireland. It used to be the case that patient notes from hospital consultations were “written up” by health professionals and then typed up by admin staff. At the same time you would have seen hand written patient notes attached to the bottom of patient beds within hospital wards and in ED. This is no longer the case. Now everything regarding patient details and medical interventions are recorded digitally  and on the go.

And you, as a patient, have access to many but not all of these details right now. For instance, one you have blood drawn within any hospital trust, the results are usually available on the “My Care” app within a reasonable time frame. It must be pointed out here that blood results  have an automatic release date set on them (about 2 weeks) which gives the consultants time to review and add comments if required . Neither the transplant coordinators or any admin staff  within the hospital ( in the case the RVH) have any access to allow them to forward these results. They are automatically sent to your phone.

As for the future, it is further planned that  new appointment details will be pinged to your phone via the app . Future developments will mean that you will be able to change appointment dates and times within the app to ones that suit you better and even to send messages to staff.

Please note though, at this time, “My Care” does not include primary care records; those are your GP records or the results of tests carried out by your GP. And all previous historical hand written notes will not be made available to the digital system.

In order to be able to do all of this you will need to access the “My Care” portal  within DHCNI by downloading an app from your app store called “My Chart“. When you download the app it will install “My Care” on to your phone. Full information can be found here to fully help you to understand the benefits of the system https://dhcni.hscni.net/digital-portfolio/encompass/my-care/?csrt=16420198896327286096

Pictured is Arthur Goan, Vice Chairman RVH Liver Support Group, Ward 6D Sister, Carol and staff nurse Lisa with their new ECG machine.  The RVH Liver Support Group made the  financial donation via the Charity Trust Fund to enable the procurement of this much needed piece of equipment. The state-of-the-art ECG has also the facility to be electronically connected to the new digital Encompass system now used throughout the Trust thereby enabling the immediate uploading of patient ECG results to their electronic records for immediate viewing by the medical team.

For more information on Encompass and how it can help you please visit:

https://dhcni.hscni.net/digital-portfolio/encompass/my-care/?csrt=16420198896327286096

Our best wishes go to @rogancanning as he prepares for his new role as the RVH fatty liver nurse specialist from Monday. His colleagues in Ward 6D laid on a sweet treat for him to mark his change of responsibilities.

Group Chairman Jim Kilpatrick was delighted to join with Dr Neil McDougall and Dr Becca O’Kane at the first dedicated regional hepatology clinic in Altnagelvin Hospital today. We wish Becca well as she settles into her new role covering Hepatology and Gastroenterology services in the North West.

It was lovely meeting up with some of the local patients who we normally would only chat to and support when they come to the Royal in Belfast

You might have heard the word “encompass” recently; you may have seen a little about it on TV too. This is the new digital recording system that has been rolled out within the Trust on June 6th. It means that, from this date, all patient records in the hospitals will be recorded digitally and there will no longer be patients paper notes. In the fullness of time patients will be able to access their records on their phone or tablet computer and see their blood results and results of scans and hospital appointments.

In the picture opposite we can see Sister Carol Harper along with some of her staff in the Regional Liver Unit (Ward 6D) getting to grips with encompass.

Friday, July 28th, was WORLD HEPATITIS DAY.  The Public Health Agency (PHA) continues to  remind us that anyone can be at risk of hepatitis, as latest statistics show that there were 122 new cases of hepatitis B cases and 191 new cases of hepatitis C diagnosed here in 2022.*

Northern Ireland’s Chief Medical Officer Professor Sir Michael McBride said: “There are several different types of hepatitis. Some types will pass without any serious problems, while others can be more severe and long-lasting.

“The symptoms of hepatitis can often be vague, or not very noticeable which means there will people be living with the infection without realising it. If you think you may be at risk of infection from hepatitis then we would encourage you to get tested, or speak to your GP.”

Dr Gillian Armstrong, Public Health Consultant at the PHA said: “Hepatitis B tends to be transmitted from an infected mother to her baby or through contact with infected bodily fluids.

“In Northern Ireland, new infections with hepatitis B tend to be from sexual contact with an infected person.

“Hepatitis C is commonly associated with sharing needles or injecting equipment. It can also be spread by having a tattoo or body piercing done using non-sterile equipment.

“The good news is that there is a vaccine to help prevent hepatitis B, and treatment for hepatitis C is now very effective.

“Therefore, we are encouraging people to come forward for testing if they think they could be at risk, for example if they have had a tattoo or piercing where there are concerns about the hygiene standards of the practice, if they have received medical or dental treatment abroad where equipment has not been sterilised properly or if they have ever injected drugs, even if this was only once or some time ago.

Hepatitis comes in various forms, but the most serious are hepatitis B and C both of which can cause chronic liver damage and cirrhosis.

Hepatitis A and E can be transmitted through contaminated food and water but tend to be self limiting infections for most individuals.

“The theme for World Hepatitis Day in 2023 is ‘We’re not waiting’,” said Dr Neil McDougall, Consultant Hepatologist in the Regional Liver Unit, Belfast Trust.

“Our target is to eliminate Hepatitis C as a public health concern in Northern Ireland by 2025.

“We now have fantastic tablet based treatments for hepatitis C with minimal side effects and a cure rate of nearly 100%.  But we can only achieve our target if we identify people with hepatitis C and offer them effective treatment.”

Susan Semple, Consultant Nurse at Belfast Inclusion Health Service said: “We are not waiting.  It’s time to get ahead – test, treat and cure and work together to eliminate viral hepatitis.

“We want to offer the chance to get tested to anyone who may be at risk of having hepatitis B or C.”

Hepatitis B is most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact following sexual intercourse, injury with contaminated sharp instruments or other equipment by intravenous drug misusers, or by perinatal transmission from mother to child.

The Hepatitis C virus is usually transmitted through blood-to-blood contact. Some examples of ways blood can be transferred include sharing razors and toothbrushes or sharing unsterilized needles – for example while injecting drugs. Sexual transmission and transmission from mother to child do occur, but this is less frequent than in hepatitis B cases.

Dr Armstrong concluded: “We hope as many people a possible will avail of this opportunity to get tested and help us work towards eliminating hepatitis. It is also important to know about how to avoid becoming infected. This includes practising safer sex, avoiding getting tattoos abroad and not sharing needles or injecting equipment. Clean injecting equipment can be obtained from various needle exchange sites across Northern Ireland to reduce the risk from these infections.”

Hepatitis instances

Hepatitis B in NI in 2022: 121 cases, 22% increase on 2021.

Hepatitis C in NI in 2022: 191 cases, 19% decrease on 2021.