Dear patient,
The Castle Practice in conjunction with Salisbury Hospital is running a programme to screen patients for liver problems. The rationale is that lots of patients can be silently developing liver problems and that by offering screening we can find issues early and help make changes to avoid any liver problems becoming more serious.
Please follow the link on your SMS message if you would like to book an appointment for the screening. The screening involves a 10 minute appointment for a blood test at the practice. You will also be weighed and asked about your alcohol intake.
Following this the blood test results will be reviewed by Dr McKay. If everything is normal and you are at low risk for liver problems you will receive a text message reassuring you that your screening is clear.
If the screening suggests you are at potential risk of liver problems Dr McKay will phone you to discuss next steps. This will likely involve a special type of ultrasound scan at Salisbury called a fibroscan and an appointment with a liver specialist. The liver clinic will then be able to give you more information about your future risk of liver problems and explain what can be done to avoid them getting more serious.
Hopefully this letter makes sense and you understand the benefit of taking part in this pro-active screening programme. Please follow the SMS link to book your screening, if there are any problems with this please contact reception who can book you in over the phone.
If you have any questions prior to booking please contact reception who can arrange a call for you to discuss the screening in more detail.
Kind regards,
The Castle Practice