§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people died because of liver failure in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will estimate the proportion who could have been saved had suitable liver and transplant facilities been available.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1985, c. 202–4]: It is not possible to estimate with any 164W degree of accuracy how many people die because of liver failure each year. A working party at the Royal College of Surgeons has provisionally estimated the need for liver transplantation in England at 120 operations annually, but it will be revising this figure in about a year's time.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what change there has been in the resources devoted to liver transplant work in the National Health Service over the last two years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply 13 November 1985 c. 202–4]: It is estimated that £1,452,000 was spent on liver transplantations in 1984–85. The funds allocated under the supra regional arrangements for 1985–86 total £2,336,000 and should enable about 95 operations to be performed. Both numbers are at 1985–86 cost levels.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many people are on the waiting list for liver transplants.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1985, c. 202–4]: Waiting lists for liver transplants are maintained by the hospitals concerned and information is not collected centrally.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will take steps to encourage general practitioners to refer patients with serious liver complaints to transplant centres.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1985, c. 202–4]: No. The referral of patients is a matter for the doctors concerned. I am, however, informed that a surgeon would be most unlikely to accept for liver transplantation a patient who had not been seen by a consultant hepatologist.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many liver transplant operations were carried out in (a) National Health Service hospitals and (b) private hospitals in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1985, c. 202–4]: National figures for liver transplant operations were not collected before 1983. Twenty such operations were performed in National Health Service hospitals in 1983 and 49 in 1984. Information on operations performed in private hospitals is not collected centrally, but it is not thought that any were performed before 1 April 1985.
§ Mr. Ashleyasked the Secretary of State for Social Services if he will detail the factors that limit the expansion of liver transplant facilities in the National Health Service; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. Whitney[pursuant to his reply, 13 November 1985, c. 202–4]: Liver transplantation is an increasingly successful procedure, but even though the cost of each operation appears to be falling as the number of operations performed increases, it is still very expensive and additional funds for expansion can only be found at the expense of other aspects of health service provision. There is at present no indication that suitable donor livers for adult patients are in short supply, though finding suitable donor livers for paediatric patients can be a problem in some cases. Liver transplantation was designated as a 165W supra regional service from 1 April 1984, and my right hon. Friend's intention is that the funds allocated under the supra regional arrangements should be increased as the 166W availability of resources allows; he will be receiving advice on how this might best be managed from the supra regional services advisory group.