For prisoners at one of Dorset’s three jails, a Rotary-funded fibroscanner is proving to be a life-saver.
A year ago, Christchurch Rotary funded a new fibroscan device which has transformed the management of liver disease in the community.
Hazel Allen, a consultant nurse specialising in hepatology and Sara Armstrong, a senior community fundraiser, visited the Dorset club recently to explain the impact the equipment was having.
Hazel explained how that the portable fibroscanner is now used on a daily basis at a number of locations across Dorset within community clinics and also within the three Dorset prisons.
The fibroscanner has been so successful, that there are plans to deliver treatment from a mobile bus.”
It means that no prisoner with liver disease has to travel to Bournemouth for a scan. Equally, no patients with liver disease from Poole, Weymouth or rural Dorset have had to also have to travel to Bournemouth for a scan.
Instead, Hepatitis C treatment is delivered in a community setting, targeting the homeless and increasing uptake.
And it has been so successful, that there are plans to deliver treatment from a mobile bus and within community pharmacies in Dorset in the future.
One year ago Christchurch Rotary funded the purchase of the device, which is an electronic machine that is non-invasive and avoids the necessity for a liver biopsy.
A probe is applied to the abdomen, a pulse of energy is emitted and the effect is measured and evaluated.
The process is very quick and comfortable and has no untoward side effects.
Having the fibroscanner has significantly increased access to Hepatitis C treatment in Dorset.
Hazel Allen explained that they now had an accelerated care pathway built around the scanner, from diagnosis to treatment, which can be delivered in the community.
