Alcohol-related liver disease is rising across the country. In Stoke-on-Trent, emergency admissions and early deaths linked to liver disease remain higher than the national average.
Many people do not know there is a problem until their liver disease is advanced. By then, treatment options can be more limited.
CDAS, with the support of our commissioners, has introduced a new community-based liver health programme designed to identify problems earlier and reduce avoidable harm, and the programme is already helping people access specialist care sooner.
Bringing liver screening into the community
CDAS has introduced FibroScan technology into our service. This is a quick, painless ultrasound scan that can help identify liver disease and monitor changes over time.
Within our service, liver health checks are now routinely offered to people attending assessment or receiving alcohol detox support.
CDAS is currently the only local service offering both onsite and outreach FibroScan appointments. This helps us reach people who may not attend hospital clinics and makes screening more accessible across Stoke-on-Trent.
Alongside screening, our clinical team has strengthened referral pathways with the NHS and specialist hepatology services. This means that when concerns are identified, people can move more quickly into further assessment and treatment.
These joined-up pathways have reduced waiting times, lowered barriers to care and supported earlier intervention for people in our community.
Early impact in Stoke-on-Trent
Since January 2025, more than 200 people have received a liver health check through CDAS.
Ten of those people were found to have advanced cirrhosis or severe liver disease who were previously unaware of their condition. Each person was supported into specialist NHS care through strengthened referral pathways.
These early findings show how community-based screening can identify serious health concerns sooner and connect people to the right support at the right time.
We also recently shared this model at the Managing Addictions Primary Care 2026 Conference through a formal poster presentation, contributing to wider discussions about prevention and early detection in primary and community settings.
What it means in practice
For some people, making that first appointment takes courage. Fear of what the scan might reveal can be a real barrier - something Dani, community detox nurse at CDAS, has seen in her work.
“We have had a few clients who don’t want a FibroScan at first because they’re so frightened of what it’s going to tell them,” she says. “But the more we talk to them about it, they do come around. It’s more that they’re scared to find out the result.”
For some, a liver health check can be the moment the reality of what alcohol is doing to their body becomes something they can no longer set aside - and the moment they decide to do something about it.
“It gives them that lightbulb moment,” Dani says, “where they think - right, okay, that does have to be it for me.”
Find out more
If you are a professional interested in learning more about our liver screening pathway, we welcome partnership conversations. Please, contact us on 01782 283 113.
If you live in Stoke-on-Trent and would like to understand more about liver health and discuss screening, we’re here to talk through your options.
Come along to our drop-in or call us on 01782 283 113.