They have been named recipients of a Dr Falk Pharma/British Association for the Study of the Liver (BASL)/British Liver Trust Quality and Service Improvement Award.
An awards reception was held on 9 October 2025 at the Titanic Museum in Belfast during the BASL’s Annual Meeting.
The awards recognise individuals and teams for their work in improving services for people with liver disease and the Bedfordshire programme has been recognised in the category for projects underway or that have been completed within the previous three years.
The aim of the Bedfordshire programme is to tackle health inequalities in patients with alcohol dependency. Located at Bedford Hospital, ELFT and Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (BHFT) created a hepatology/P2R clinic in August 2023 for vulnerable patients in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.
This is a direct interface between addictions service P2R and BHFT’s hepatology and liver disease service. It aims to provide holistic care and health assessments to tackle alcohol addiction and alcohol-associated stigma.
The reason the clinic was set up was due to the high number of missed appointments at general hepatology clinics for patients with alcohol dependency, compared to other causes of liver disease. Across the whole of 2022, 90 per cent of missed hepatology appointments were from patients with documented alcohol dependency. These patients were more likely to attend hospital with advanced liver disease, often requiring lengthy admissions.
The new clinic was successful in reducing the number of ‘no-shows’ for scheduled appointments. Between August 2023 and May 2025, only 8 out of 128 appointments were unattended.
P2R physical health and hospital lead for Bedfordshire, Anna Lipinska, said: “I am absolutely thrilled to be recognised with this award. This has been almost two years in the making, demonstrating the hard work by colleagues to support the most vulnerable and needy in the region.
“I would like to thank colleagues from BHFT for their incredible support over the past two years, who have helped us to make a real difference in the lives of others.”
Dr Jay Patel, Consultant Hepatologist at Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, added: “This project has shown the value of partnership working at its very best. The values and goals of colleagues from ELFT’s addictions service align with ours, and we remain fully committed to tackling health inequalities in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.
“Thank you to all of the judges for recognising the scale of work that has gone into getting to where we are today.”
P2R is a one-stop service that provides drug and alcohol advice, treatment and support to adults in Bedford Borough and Central Bedfordshire.