Current News

This is our Current News page. Our calendar features a range of news and stories about or related to Sickle Cell, which we hope you will find interesting and informative.

Junior gives his personal account of what it is like to live with Sickle Cell. Please take the time to watch it.

Nurses Competence Consultation 

Do you want to comment on nurse training and development for sickle cell and thalassaemia?

A working group has been set up to develop a "nursing competency framework” for sickle cell and thalassaemia.  The framework is due to be accredited by the Royal College of Nursing and aims to improve the training and development for all nurses involved in caring for patients with these conditions.

What is a “competency framework”?
A competency framework contains a set of actions that all nurses should be able to carry out when caring for sickle cell and thalassaemia patients.  The framework also has a range of knowledge points setting out what nurses need to know in this area.

The framework starts with healthcare assistants at the bottom end of the nurse development spectrum and becomes more complex for senior nurses.  Identifying these actions and “knowledge points” will help to ensure that nurses’ training and development will improve, which in turn should lead to better nursing care for you.

You will be invited to comment on these competences later in the summer through a consultation exercise being run by the NHS Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Screening Programme.  If you want any more information, or if you want to be included on the list of participants, please send your email details to Roma Haigh (roma.haigh@kcl.ac.uk). The consultation exercise will be also included on our Sickle Cell Society website, so you will be able to download details later this summer.

Make sure you have your say. What do you think nurses need to know to care for you?