O13 The benefits of a community liaison officer for patients with liver disease

<h3>Background</h3> Health inequalities, liver disease (LD) and cancer rates are higher than average within our locality, due to the link between deprivation and LD prevalence. The NHS England funded Community Liver Health Check pilot (CLHC) offers Fibroscans® to people ‘at risk’ of LD, and supports them to remain in long-term cirrhosis surveillance where appropriate. Many people within this group are reluctant, or struggle, to attend secondary care for assessment and follow up. Our proposal therefore included appointment of a Community Liaison Officer (CLO) to support people experiencing social and health inequalities to access appropriate care. Here, we describe CLO involvement and impact in the first year of the service. <h3>Method</h3> The CLO works under the guidance of the Lead Consultant, a Specialist Nurse and within the wider Hepatology team to ensure patients with suspected LD have a smooth pathway from diagnosis to treatment and follow-up. The key aim is to support engagement and attendance using individually helpful strategies. Examples of person-specific approaches include calls or text messages as reminders, organising several required assessments for the same day, or accompanying patients throughout to ensure they feel more comfortable. The CLO has additional responsibilities in the CLHC team, such as performing Fibroscan®. <h3>Results</h3> 101 of 1867 people seen by March 2024, had a Fibroscan® suggestive of LD and were referred for additional assessments. All these patients were contacted by the CLO within a 1–3 day window and offered an appointment; reassuring patients of prompt follow-up. Almost one-fifth (17.8%; n=18) required additional navigation support from the CLO to engage. Feedback has been positive, with examples such as: ‘Receiving a phone call the day before was really good. I wasn’t planning on attending…but as the CLO reminded me and was meeting me, I attended’. CLO support continues long-term, providing familiarity and on-going surveillance engagement. This level of input for often vulnerable patients is time and labour intensive and having a dedicated CLO has benefitted the wider team, allowing others to focus on clinical assessment, and promoting an efficient, functional service. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The CLO has had a positive impact on the delivery of the CLHC programme, providing familiarity to patients, encouraging those experiencing health inequalities to receive appropriate care, and supporting the broader team to fulfil their responsibilities. We would recommend inclusion of a CLO in all teams providing care for long-term conditions.