Stoke-on-Trent residents invited to love their livers at free UHNM roadshow events

People from across Stoke-on-Trent are being invited to take part in free liver testing at two local roadshows funded by a University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust (UHNM) doctor who died after raising thousands for UHNM Charity. 

Dr Alison Brind, 63, a consultant gastroenterologist from Stoke-on-Trent, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2022 yet continued to raise awareness of liver disease as well as more than £10,000 for UHNM Charity.   

The Love Your Liver roadshows are being held at Stoke City’s Bet365 Stadium on Tuesday 10 June before moving on to Port Vale Football Club on Wednesday 11 June, and will offer people the chance to have a free liver health check as well as the opportunity to speak to a UHNM specialist liver nurse.    

Vanessa Carr, liver clinical nurse specialist, said: “One in 10 adults in Stoke-on-Trent may have liver disease but be completely unaware because there are usually no symptoms in the early stages. But the earlier the disease is detected, the better chance there is to reduce and then reverse any damage.

“Alongside a free liver health scan, visitors to the roadshows will be invited to complete a short lifestyle questionnaire and speak with our dedicated liver health team who can offer personalised advice and support. We encourage as many people as possible to attend as liver disease remains one of the leading causes of premature death in our area. 

“None of this would have been possible without Dr Alison Brind who have been an absolute inspiration to us over the past 25 years and we continue to work in her memory.”  

Dr Brind worked with patients in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire for 25 years before her death in April 2024. She was involved in fundraising Park Runs for UHNM Charity and published a memoir called I Never Stop. 

Both roadshows take place 10am-4pm, and are run in partnership with the British Liver Trust.