DVD will help patients cope with liver disease

Primary Biliary Cirrhosis (PBC) affects 20,000 people throughout the UK and is particularly common in North East England.

PBC is a progressive cholestatic autoimmune liver disease that predominantly affects woman, although approximately one in nine patients is male. There is no specific cure, with 5% of patients requiring liver transplantation.

Produced by experts at Newcastle University in conjunction with patient support group LIVErNORTH, with distribution supported by healthcare ideas hub, NHS Innovations North, the DVD helps patients cope with news of their diagnosis and answers related questions about symptoms and treatment

Available via the LIVErNORTH website, the DVD was the result of a one year survey by the team at Newcastle University into the experiences patients receiving diagnosis.

The actual production of the DVD was funded by LIVErNORTH, following a donation of £3,000 from Harold Hueston of Northern Ireland, the widower of a PBC patient.

LIVErNORTH is an independent charity, run solely by volunteers and there are no paid employees. All monies raised are used for the benefit of liver patients, either through equipment and amenities for the Liver Unit at The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust , or to help fund research into various liver diseases, carried out by the medical team at Freeman Hospital and Newcastle University.

The DVD was the brainchild of Professor Julia Newton and Professor David Jones at the University of Newcastle. Professor Julia Newton, said:

“It is difficult for patients to take in all the information they need to about their diagnosis during their initial appointment and usually leave without thinking of the right questions to ask their doctors. The DVD gives patients and their families something to refer to at home to help understand more about PBC and reinforce what they have already been told.”

The supply of the DVD has been supported by RTC North – through the NHS Innovations North project, which has helped commercialise over 50 ideas from North East NHS Trusts over the last 6 years. Following the initial donation to LIVErNORTH, all ongoing manufacturing, distribution and production costs are fully funded by LIVErNORTH.

RTC North Intellectual Property Manager, Barbara Marriner, said:

“NHS Innovations North is delighted to be able to support this excellent resource and to make it available via our ecommerce website, Ennovations.”

The DVD is available for FREE at http://www.livernorth.org.uk/pages/factsheet.htm#DVD or via the NHS Innovations website, ‘Ennovations’ .

NHS Innovations North is one of a network of Innovation hubs across the UK set up to help make the most of new ideas within NHS Trusts and improve healthcare. Delivered in the North East by RTC North, the project will benefit from £800,501 of European Union investment from the ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, managed by regional development agency One North East.

The ERDF programme is bringing over £250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.

For more information on NHS Innovations North, call the team on 0191 5164400, email: enquiry@nhsinnovationsnorth.org.uk or visit: www.nhsinnovationsnorth.org.uk

Media contact: Jamie Ollivere at RTC North on Tel: 0191 5164400 Mobile: 07950566182 or email jamie.ollivere@rtcnorth.co.uk

Notes to editor:

NHS Innovations North is the innovation and intellectual property management service available to all NHS trusts in the North East of England and is delivered by RTC North on behalf of the NHS. Its is funded by the Department of Health, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and is part financed by the European Union’s ERDF Competitiveness Programme 2007-13, securing £800,000 ERDF investment through regional development agency One North East. The ERDF programme is bringing over £250m into the North East to support innovation, enterprise and business support across the region.

RTC North is an independent company delivering initiatives and providing services to support economic growth. Our consultants excel in the areas of technology transfer, commercialisation, business growth and open innovation and have worked with thousands of local companies since 1989 to create jobs, wealth and a better quality of life for the people of Northern England. RTC North and its subsidiaries act as delivery partners for business support programmes on behalf of One North East, Yorkshire Forward, the Northwest Development Agency and the European Commission.

LIVErNORTH is a regional liver patient support charity for the Northern region and with almost 2000 members is one of the largest in the country. Based at the Freeman Hospital it has a website www.livernorth.org.uk, a telephone helpline and holds regular meetings for members and carers. The charity has a four bed flat at the hospital for patients and carers to rent, and it funds the LIVErNORTH research laboratory at Newcastle University. The charity is run entirely by unpaid volunteers and has donated well over £250,000 to research into liver disease. For more information, visit the website or email info@livernorth.org.uk.

29/Jun/2010

27/Jul/2010

Contacts: Jamie Ollivere at RTC North

Notes to editor: RTC North is an independent innovation agency committed to helping business and society manage change. Excelling in the areas of technology transfer, business growth and innovation management, RTC North has worked with thousands of organisations since 1989 to create jobs, wealth and a better quality of life for the people of Northern England. Today the company employs over 60 people and has offices in Sunderland, Liverpool and Leeds.

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