Hospitals miss chances to cut deaths from alcohol related liver disease, report says

A third of people admitted to hospitals in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland with known alcohol related liver disease are not referred for support to stop drinking as part of their care, warns a new report from the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD).1 It recommends that all patients with a history of potentially harmful drinking be referred to alcohol support services.

“Many people with alcohol related liver disease have multiple admissions with this condition,” said Mark Juniper, consultant physician at the Great Western Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Swindon, and clinical coordinator for the report. “This gives clinicians …