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Emergency sickle cell help extended after campaign

News imageGetty Images stock image of someone reaching towards a hospital bed and holding the hand of a patient Getty Images
One in seven of all those in the UK with sickle cell conditions live in north-east London and Essex

A sickle cell emergency unit at the Royal London Hospital in Whitechapel will remain open following a campaign, it has been announced.

The Same Day Emergency Care (SDEC) unit was run as a pilot scheme between September and January, and provided an alternative to A&E admissions for sickle cell patients.

Following a campaign, Barts Health NHS Trust said an additional £1m investment would be used to keep the provision going.

Dr Raj Thuraisingham, Royal London Hospital's divisional director for medicine, said: "Improving services for people living with this lifelong condition is one of our priorities and we worked hard to improve our community outreach provision."

News imageEPA A view of the front entrance to the Royal London Hospital's emergency department on a wet day. The building is clad in long brown tiles, with a protruding steel eave which reads: Emergency Department A&E. A woman carrying a green plastic bag is on the right of the image, and blue hospital signage is out of focus in the image foreground, which reads: The Royal London Hospital.EPA
Sickle cell patients at the Royal London Hospital would have had to return to using A&E for emergency care if the pilot had not been extended

"We also increased our capacity to undertake automated red cell exchange transfusion, a technique that reduces complications in those living with this condition and dramatically improves their quality of life," he said.

Posting on Instagram, the Sickle Cell Society said: "Breaking News: We have been in discussions with commissioners regarding the Same Day Emergency Care Unit at The Royal London Hospital, and as a result, it will REOPEN."

It said it would be commenting more soon. Dozens of people posted comments of congratulations under the post, including one that said: "Absolutely brilliant news! See community when we all pull together!"

'Debilitating and dangerous'

In a statement on the trust's website, Barts Health NHS said: "It's debilitating, dangerous, and a disease that disproportionately affects people from Black and Caribbean backgrounds.

"Those living with sickle cell disease need more than the very best medical treatment to manage this life-long condition," it added.

The trust explained that one in seven of all those in the UK with sickle cell conditions live in north-east London and Essex, and said its hospitals had about 900 patients on their books.

It said this was why £2m was invested in launching the emergency unit for sickle cell in September "in order to improve patient outcomes, reduce health inequalities, and prevent hospital admissions".

It said the new £1m funding would help extend the provision into 2027.

"In addition, we are expecting a similar sum to be allocated for a Barts Health focus on helping those with sickle cell manage emergencies caused by a painful crisis."

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