The liver service at University Hospital of North Tees and University Hospital of Hartlepool is part of the department of gastroenterology and specialises in the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of all types of liver disease.
Referrals to the liver service can be made via GPs, hospital doctors or any other healthcare professionals.
The majority of patients are referred for the assessment of abnormal liver function tests or after abnormal liver scans. Some patients are referred with acute problems such as jaundice and may be admitted through the early admissions unit.
Our service aims to improve early identification and treatment of liver disease and make necessary referrals (where appropriate) to other services including the alcohol care team, the Regional Liver Unit, dietetics and palliative care.
Services we provide
Our range of services include:
- Outpatient liver clinics
- Specialist clinics – metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) clinics; decompensated liver disease clinic
- Outreach transplant and advanced liver disease clinic (provided by Dr Jopson, visiting hepatologist)
- Fibroscan clinics
- Inpatient care
- Hepatocellular carcinoma (primary liver cancer) surveillance programme
- Endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of oesophageal and gastric varices
- 24/7 gastrointestinal bleed services (with our gastroenterology colleagues)
- Day case paracentesis service
- Monthly liver MDT
Additional services
With our colleagues in our hepato-pancreato-biliary (HPB) service (Professor Mitra/Dr Hancock/Dr Sethia) we provide:
Biliary and pancreatic endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) and biopsies
Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography (ERCP) for gallstone clearance from the bile duct and biliary/ pancreatic stenting
With our colleagues in our radiology department (Drs Carss, Lim, Norton and Rao) we provide:
Liver biopsy
Indwelling peritoneal catheters
Percutaneous drainage of liver abscess
With our alcohol care team, we provide:
Supervised inpatient alcohol detoxification bed
Liver diseases we treat
Conditions covered by our service:
- Cirrhosis – all causes
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD)
- Metabolic dysfunction-associated Steatohepatitis (MASH)
- Alcohol-related liver disease and Met ALD
- Autoimmune hepatitis
- Primary biliary cholangitis (PBC)
- Primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC)
- Genetic conditions such as haemochromatosis, alpha1- antitrypsin deficiency and Wilson’s disease
- Drug-induced liver injury (DILI)
- Congenital diseases in adulthood such as congenital hepatic fibrosis
- Vascular liver conditions such as cardiogenic cirrhosis, portal vein thrombosis and Budd-Chiari syndrome
- Hepatitis B
We do not treat Hepatitis C, but refer patients who are HCV-PCR positive to the centre for clinical infection at The James Cook University Hospital.
Outpatient clinics
We run general hepatology and specialized hepatology clinics (MASLD clinic) across both hospital sites. There is a dedicated liver clinic at the University Hospital of North Tees on Wednesday afternoons.
Nurse led clinics are also provided across both hospital sites. A Monday afternoon nurse led clinic are held at the University Hospital of North Tees and there are reviews for ward discharges, mainly for patients with decompensated liver cirrhosis.
Inpatient care
We have two gastroenterology and liver wards at the University Hospital of North Tees where we look after patients with liver, bile duct and pancreatic diseases. Both Ward 26 and 27 have 30 beds. We usually admit patients through the early assessment unit.
Both wards offer a consultant led service, supported by resident doctors in training. There are four gastroenterology specialist registrars along with a number of internal medicine trainees and foundation doctors. Each ward also has either a nurse practitioner or a physician’s assistant attached to it.
Any emergency patients are usually admitted via the emergency assessment unit, which has a minimum of two consultant physicians present between 8am and 8:30pm, 7 days a week.
Diagnosis and treatment
Find out how we diagnose and treat liver disease through a range of procedures.
Diagnosis and treatmentResearch in liver disease
We participate in a number of local and national studies in the diagnosis, genetics and treatment of liver disease and its complications in conjunction with the Research and Development Department, part of the Tees Valley Research Alliance.
Find out how you can get involved in researchLiver strategy – Improving quality In liver services
Improving Quality in Liver Services (IQILS) is an accreditation scheme for UK hospitals that care for people with liver conditions to demonstrate that they provide high-quality liver services for patients. This includes inpatient and outpatient services.
We are currently working towards accreditation by the IQILS scheme. As part of this process, we are committed to an ongoing programme of service and quality improvements to provide the best outcomes for our patients.