The gastroenterology team at Stepping Hill Hospital have received a new accreditation showing their achievement of the highest standards of medical liver care and improvement.

The Stockport NHS Foundation Trust team are the first in Greater Manchester to achieve their level 1 accreditation with the Improving Quality in Liver Services (IQILS) accreditation programme.

The gastroenterology team provide a wide range of medical support and care for patients with many different liver conditions including cirrhosis, hepatitis, fatty liver disease and liver cancer. They provide fully multi-disciplinary care for liver patients to assess and ensure liver patients receive the medication, therapy and support which they need.

Procedures they carry out include over 1,200 fibroscans (which assess for liver scarring and fatty change) and over 360 ascitic drains (which drain abnormal abdominal fluid to ease symptoms such as pain) in a year.

The aim of IQILS programme is to improve the quality of medical liver services throughout the UK. It’s run by the Royal College of Physicians and is supported by the British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL) and British Society of Gastroenterologists (BSG).

IQILS works in partnership with the liver community, professional bodies, societies and patient groups. With assessment from national Consultant Hepatologists and Hepatology Specialist nurses, the accreditation provides independent and impartial recognition that a service demonstrates high levels of quality in areas including continuous improvement, consistency, and sharing good practice.

Dilraj Sandher, Chief Medical Officer for Stockport NHS Foundation Trust said; “We’re very proud our gastroenterology team are the first in Greater Manchester to gain this IQILS accreditation, which shows their dedication and commitment to the best possible standards for our liver patients. We hope this will mean patients can feel confident in their liver service and be assured of receiving high quality consistent care.”