Last week I spoke in Parliament in a debate on sickle cell disorder. Treatment and support of sickle cell disorder, which predominantly affects people in the BAME community, is not good enough.
A lack of awareness about the condition, along with discriminatory attitudes and inadequate training in parts of the health service leads to some awful outcomes for patients. I set out what the Government need to do to make this right.
I called on the Government to follow up on recommendations made in the excellent “No one is listening report” which looks at the failings in sickle cell care. But the key point I made is that if we want to improve outcomes for people with sickle cell disorder then we must give patients and their families far greater say and control over the support they receive. Giving people affected by the condition more influence over their treatment and the training of NHS staff will drive up standards and play an essential role in achieving the lasting change we want to see in sickle cell care.
