Call for specialist liver centre

Mr Williams has suffered from the rare liver disease for 13 years

A man who has to travel from Aberystwyth to Birmingham for treatment for a rare liver disease has called for a dedicated unit to be opened in Wales.

William Williams, 63, makes the 240-mile trip every four months and has suffered the condition for 13 years.

People with serious liver complaints are referred to clinics in England as Wales is without a specialist unit.

The Welsh Assembly Government said it aimed to provide the majority of health care locally "as is safe to do so".

But the lack of a specialist liver centre in Wales means people like Mr Williams are forced to endure long journeys.

A retired physicist, he suffers from primary sclerosing cholangitis, which affects the liver's bile ducts.

'Complex case'

It is a progressive illness with no known cure and Mr Williams may eventually require a transplant.

He said: "I have to go to Birmingham because there is no liver specialist available in Wales.

"The journey can take anything from three to five hours and I'm not allowed to eat the night before because of the scan, so the whole thing is very tiring."

He added: "We must have a centre with specialists so we are not sent from one end of the country to the other.

"It would be better to have a centre in the middle of Wales, but anywhere closer to home would be good."

A Welsh Assembly Government spokesman said: "We aim to provide the majority of health care as locally as is safe to do so.

"With specialised treatments, patients will need to receive their care at a specialist centre, wherever it is located.

"Patients that require more specialised and complex case management or liver transplants are referred to specialist clinics in England for treatment."