by Liza Williams liverpooldailypost.co.uk
Dr Martin Lombard, a consultant hepatologist at the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen Hospitals, has been appointed as National Clinical Director for Liver Disease.
He takes up the new role today, leading the development of a National Liver Strategy for England.
The strategy will bring together NHS services and builds on the Department of Health’s commitment to tackle the growing levels of liver disease.
It is now one of the most common causes of death in England, and health chiefs say if action is not taken it could overtake stroke and coronary heart disease within the next 10 to 20 years.
The rise is largely fuelled by lifestyle factors such as excessive drinking, obesity and drug users sharing needles than can lead to the transmission of hepatitis C.
He said: “The burden of liver disease has increased enormously in the past 10 to 15 years and unfortunately is an increasing cause of death in younger patients.
“In the North West in particular, we appear to have a higher prevalence of some liver diseases.
“The principal ones including alcohol related liver disease, liver disease related to obesity, and hepatitis C are avoidable and treatable conditions which, if left unchecked, can result in complications.
“We have good local clinical resources in the North West and my role will be to improve the services nationally and to help GPs, nurses and others become more involved in helping patients with liver diseases.
“There is a lot do be done but I am very grateful to the hospital management and my consultant colleagues at the Royal Liverpool for supporting me in this new role.”
Health Minister Ann Keen added:
“Dr Lombard is a highly-respected clinical expert in this field and I am pleased to welcome him to the department to lead our National Liver Strategy.”
Dr Lombard will continue to work part-time at the Royal and Broadgreen, where he is Clinical Director of Gastroenterology and Liver Services.
