Recruitment is under way for a clinician to lead a new national review and improvement programme of services for patients with sickle cell disorder (SCD) and thalassaemia, in a collaboration between the NHS England Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme and Getting It Right First Time (GIRFT).
Work will begin early in 2025 to undertake a series of review visits to specialist providers and wider services delivering SCD and thalassaemia care across England, with the aim of identifying and understanding variations in care and barriers to improvement and seeking out examples of best practice.
Working in collaboration with the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme, GIRFT will partner with local teams to pinpoint and address variations and agree bespoke and practical recommendations for enhancing service quality and outcomes. The national data and other findings will also be summarised in a GIRFT national report.
“We know that there are opportunities for improvement in the patient pathways for people with sickle cell disorder and thalassaemia. The focus of this role will be to ensure all services identify those opportunities and formulate plans to address any challenges going forward. We want to ensure that SCD and thalassaemia services are providing high quality and timely care, and where necessary trusts have, or develop, timely improvement plans.”
Sickle cell disorder is a life-long condition where a gene mutation causes red blood cells to become irreversibly curved, or sickle shaped. It mostly affects people of black African and black African Caribbean heritage. Haemolytic anaemia occurs when red blood cells are destroyed faster than they are replaced. A sickle cell crisis occurs when the damaged red blood cells block blood vessels and restrict oxygen supply. This can lead to strokes, sight loss, and organ failure, which can be fatal.
People with thalassaemia cannot produce enough haemoglobin, which is used by red blood cells to carry oxygen around the body. This can cause severe anaemia that can be fatal if not treated. It mostly affects people of Asian, Middle Eastern, Southern Mediterranean heritage with about 800 people living with thalassaemia in England.
The British Society for Haematology is supporting GIRFT and the National Healthcare Inequalities Improvement Programme in recruiting a senior clinician to lead the data-driven GIRFT review. The successful candidate will be experienced in developing and implementing care pathways for children and adults with SCD, thalassaemia and associated health conditions, as well as having expertise and understanding of service provision for SCD and thalassaemia in community, primary and secondary care settings, including transition into adult services.
The role will involve working collaboratively with stakeholders including the British Society for Haematology, Royal College of Physicians, Sickle Cell Society, NHSE Haemoglobinopathies CRG and others.
To apply for the role, submit your CV and a covering letter (FAO Professor Tim Briggs) via email to jody.walton@nhs.net. The closing date for applications is 23:59 Tuesday 31st December 2024.
