The Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust continues to expand its liver disease screening, allowing more people to understand liver health.

More than 800 people were offered a free liver health screening last year either in hospital or at community clinics.

Screening as many people as possible is the best way to diagnose liver illnesses, as they often go unnoticed and can be too far progressed by the time symptoms appear.

It's also the best way to spot liver cirrhosis, which raises the risk of cancer.

Last year the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust was able to significantly expand its screening service, using a second handheld ultrasound-like device (known as a FibroScan) and community-based clinics.

The focus is on encouraging people to get scanned who are less likely to go to hospital and could be at a higher risk of illness.

Patients who drink high levels of alcohol but who may not necessarily seek out liver screening, were also being offered a screening when they attend the hospital for other issues by the Alcohol Care Team.

This proactive step by medical staff has facilitated more patients being directly referred to hepatology, cutting out the need for GP or intermediate hospital appointments.

Kat Akerboom, Lead Gastroenterology specialist nurse at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Making liver health screening tests more widely available ensures we can prevent the risk of cancer in our local community.

"We can see even more patients now that we have two scanners, provide a more proactive service within our hospital and community clinics.

"While we are only just getting started with this exciting new service.

"We've already tested 25% more patients in the last year. This has cut down on GP referrals and for those who were found to have liver issues at an early stage, this will have undoubtedly cut out the need for future hospital appointments and lengthy treatments."

When the FibroScans aren't in use for patients, hospital staff have also had an opportunity to get checked themselves during specific staff clinic sessions, which proved incredibly popular.

During an awareness week that focused on staff wellbeing last year, 85 staff were scanned, and one in ten were found to potentially have previously unknown liver fibrosis and were referred for further investigations.

And the service continues to grow, with plans in place that will ensure at least another 1,000 people will get a scan this year.

The plans include working more closely with large local employers to hold events for their staff following a successful pilot recently with Airbus.