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Written question asked by Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 March 2025, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 1 April 2025. It was answered by Baroness Merron (Labour) on Wednesday, 2 April 2025 on behalf of the Department of Health and Social Care.

Primary Biliary Cholangitis: Women

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure primary care clinicians receive training to distinguish symptoms of primary biliary cholangitis from perimenopause, and to support early diagnosis and timely referral for women affected by the condition.

Answer

We remain committed to improving the lives of people living with rare diseases, such as primary biliary cholangitis. One of the four priorities of the UK Rare Diseases Framework is increasing awareness of rare diseases among healthcare professionals. Our fourth England action plan, published in February 2025, reports on progress.

The Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) has a holistic curriculum of training, with a specific section on women’s health, including menopause. To support practicing general practitioners, the RCGP has developed a Women’s Health Library with educational resources and guidelines on women’s health, which includes a specific section on menopause.

Primary biliary cholangitis has a set of commonly found symptoms, and work is underway to raise awareness of them. NHS England, through the Hepatobiliary and Pancreas Clinical Reference Group, is working closely with partners to raise awareness and understanding of primary biliary cholangitis and its treatments. Plans include the production of a treatment algorithm for use by emergency departments, which may also be helpful for general practitioners.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL5920
Session
2024-26
Subjects
Diagnosis Women Training Primary biliary cholangitis
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk