Sickle Cell Diseases: Health Services

(asked on 18th February 2022) - View Source

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to ensure (a) all people with sickle cell disease receive equal access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments and (b) the organisation of sickle cell care across the NHS is efficient in patients receiving treatment in a sufficient timeframe.


Answered by
Maria Caulfield Portrait
Maria Caulfield
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
This question was answered on 24th February 2022

To coordinate equitable, efficient and timely access to red cell exchange therapy and other treatments for sickle cell disease, there are 10 Haemoglobinopathy Co-ordinating Centres (HCCs), each overseeing Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Teams (SHTs) and local haemoglobinopathy teams. NHS England and NHS Improvement have service specifications for HCCs and SHTs which support providers and clinical teams, describing the standards and clinical guidelines to be met. The service specifications ensure standardised care and equitable delivery across England.

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