Easy Read Information
The Liver and Hepatology team treat diseases of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
Hepatology is the study of the liver, gallbladder and pancreas.
The liver, gallbladder and pancreas are important parts of your body because they produce chemicals which control how your body works.
The Hepatology/Liver team includes 5 consultants, one nurse consultant, three middle grades doctors (specialist registrars), two nurse specialists, and a hepatology nurse. There are also a team of Radiologists with a special interest in Hepatology as well as a superintendent radiographer with a specialist interest in ultrasound guided liver biopsy.
What we do
There is a strong emphasis on standardised protocols and education. We accept referrals from primary, secondary and tertiary care. There are also three nurse led services, which include clinics for the treatment of:
- viral hepatitis
- haemachromatosis
- long term chronic liver diseases
- There are also pre-assessment clinics for patients undergoing procedures such as ERCP and ultrasound guided liver biopsy.
A ‘virtual clinic’ is also undertaken by the nurse consultant and specialist nurse which involves pre-investigating all our new out-patient referrals to the liver team, allowing us to give a diagnosis, offer treatment or even discharge on the first appointment.
The Liver Service organises and performs all of the ERCP (~450pa) and EUS (~550 pa) within the Trust and works very closely with the surgical HPB unit and radiology. Approximately 100 patients are treated for hepatitis C per year and approximately 250 ultrasound guided liver biopsies are performed as day cases by either the nurse 
consultant in Hepatology or the superintendent radiographer. There are also approximately 140 patients with genetic haemachromatosis and approximately 15% require weekly venesections with the remaining 85% having three monthly venesections.
Care is also provided in a ward environment. This is a 24 bedded ward primarily caring for patient with hepatobiliary conditions, servicing the local community as well as offering a tertiary service for Merseyside, Isle Of Man, Lancashire, Cheshire & North Wales.
Contact us
Heptology Dept
Liverpool Royal University Hospital
Prescot Stree
Liverpool, L7 8XP
Contact the Liver Clinic on 0151 706 2820
The team
Dr Paul Richardson
Consultant Hepatologist
Clinical Lead - Hepatology
Dr Howard Smart
Consultant Gastroenterologist with interest in Hepato-Biliary Medicine
Prof Martin Lombard
Consultant Hepatologist
Dr Sanchoy Sarkar
Consultant Gastroenterologist with interest in Hepato-Biliary Medicine
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore
Consultant Hepatologist
Helen Caldwell
Nurse Consultant
Julie Barr
Nurse Specialist
Devina Mallon
Nurse Specialist
Steph Gray
Administrator