PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Sickle Cell Diseases: Analgesics (10 October 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence entitled Sickle cell disease: managing acute painful episodes in hospital, published on 27 June 2012, what recent assessment she has made of whether hospitals meet the guidance to (a) deliver pain relief to sickle cell patients within 30 minutes and (b) monitor patients beyond the first dose of pain relief.

Asked by:
Janet Daby (Labour)

No specific assessment has been made. Specialist haemoglobinopathy teams and haemoglobinopathy co-ordinating centres are required to submit data via the Specialised Services Quality Dashboard on the percentage of patients given pain relief within 30 minutes of presentation with a sickle cell crisis, according to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s guidelines. The data does not include patients attending non-specialist haemoglobinopathy providers and further work is required to improve the accuracy of the data submission before it can be used to assess compliance.

Sickle cell disease and thalassemia are now described as core competencies haematology medical curriculum. Health Education England (HEE) also provides e-learning which includes content on sickle cell disease. HEE, the Royal College of Pathology and the Royal College of Physicians have ensured this curriculum is deliverable to all four nations, in line with the General Medical Council’s standards. Haemoglobinopathy Coordinating Centres also provide network development, leadership, learning and education. Following the publication of ‘Our plan for patients”, the Department is reviewing its priorities on preventing ill-health and address health disparities.

Answered by:
Will Quince (Conservative)
17 October 2022