New specialist NHS centres are set to open across the country to enable thousands of people with sickle disease to receive quicker pain relief when experiencing a crisis.
Today is World Sickle Cell Day and NHS England has announced the creation of new expert clinics to provide specialist care, allowing sickle cell patients to bypass A&E.
The 24/7 Hyper Acute Units will be set up in parts of the country with the highest number of sickle patients, initially London and Manchester, later this year.
The clinics will provide specialist support from staff at the units, meaning patients can go straight to clinicians who understand their condition and can provide effective pain relief quicker.
Around 15,000 people in England are living with sickle cell disease.
NHS chief executive Amanda Pritchard said: “Sickle cell crises can be deeply debilitating, and patients have the right to expect that the NHS will be there for them when they need help most. By creating these new specialist units we hope to be able to provide a much better experience, with much quicker treatment, for thousands of people.
“The new measures we are launching today are the latest, important step we are taking to improve how the NHS meets the needs of sickle cell patients, listening closely to what they have told us would make the biggest difference, and we are committed to continuing this work together.”
The NHS recently launched a campaign to ensure staff at A&Es are aware of the symptoms of a sickle cell crisis, which include severe pain, fever, one-sided paralysis, difficulty walking, sudden vision changes and confusion.
Professor Bola Owolabi, NHS director for health inequalities, said: “These new hyperacute units will give people with sickle cell the confidence to come forward for care during these intensely painful and life-threatening episodes and receive the care from NHS staff that we would all want and expect in our hour of need.
“On this World Sickle Day, I am determined that the NHS continues to make progress in the support it offers to people with sickle cell, so every individual with this disease feels able to seek help when they need it.”
