I wonder what will be in the 10-year plan after Lord Darzi’s full and independent investigation into the state of the NHS, which is due to be reported next month. I’m rather fed up with hearing that the NHS is broken. The NHS staff’s intelligence, dedication, commitment and willingness to go that extra mile is venerated by the corporate world.
My recent Sunday on-call involved significant team expertise from multiple disciplines devoted to the successful recovery of two acutely sick, complicated, young adults. Cases like these induce a range of emotions in parallel to the patient’s course, and we should take a moment to feel the elation when their decline is reversed. And when outcomes are not successful, we should still take comfort in having done our very best.
Our workforce project has highlighted the emotional labour experienced by the haematology community and is investigating solutions to improve working lives and the care our patients receive. We submitted some results and forecasting projections to Lord Darzi’s investigation, and we hope this will help pave the way for much-needed improvements. More information will follow from our comprehensive look at the haematology workforce.
With wellbeing at the forefront of our minds, it’s clear we need to think differently. There can be a reticence to allow NHS staff to take time away from their day-to-day roles to work, volunteer or develop health partnerships overseas. However, these experiences not only enhance the professional development of NHS personnel but also foster a sense of global solidarity and shared experience alongside improving health outcomes.
There is increasing evidence that working in complex and challenging environments provides invaluable experience to individuals, which can positively impact NHS trusts and benefit haematology colleagues in low- to middle-income (LMIC) countries. I was honoured to take part in a week-long visit to Zambia this month as one of six volunteers from the Global Haematology Special Interest Group’s (SIG) Zambia Task Force.
We delivered an intensive programme of lectures and a panel for case discussions. We visited laboratory and clinical settings in Lusaka and Ndola to share knowledge. One aim was to help build capacity for routine neonatal sickle cell screening and general laboratory haematology, further developing the good work that started with last year’s visit.
I took the opportunity to visit the maternity hospital and establish connections with clinical and academic obstetricians and the interns who manage the haematological complications in pregnancy. The complexity of advanced comorbidities and late antenatal presentations creates significant challenges, which I enjoyed participating in for my brief spell there. It was encouraging to learn that maternal deaths are now low enough to investigate each one and learn from common themes, as we do in the UK.
I was also impressed by the organisation of the Zambia National Blood Transfusion Service, including the 24/7 opening time for donors and country-wide mobile collection centres. All donations are screened, and reporting systems for haemovigilance and traceability are in place. An article in the national newspaper called for 250,000 more donors to reach their target of 400,000 units by 2026.
To allow the collaboration with Zambia to sustain a forward direction beyond the agreed three years, we will establish a series of online lectures and extend the offer to join multidisciplinary team meetings set up by our members with other LMICs.
In addition, our Global Haematology SIG has partnered with Health Volunteers Overseas (HVO). Katherine Lowndes, representing both organisations, provided insightful knowledge and assessment of the site for ongoing HVO collaboration. HVO and the BSH also have volunteers currently in Calmette Hospital in Cambodia.
The BSH will support the opportunity for 2-3 Zambians to come to the UK as part of an exchange programme for formalised education packages. Applications will open soon.
The Global Haematology SIG also manages the Global Speaker scheme, which identifies and funds BSH speakers to visit LMIC haematology meetings to establish links and collaborative projects. It runs a series of free continuous professional development talks aimed at haematology colleagues in LMIC countries. It is also piloting a new initiative, How I treat..., which will be short briefs from two or three writers from around the world, explaining how they treated various conditions with limited resources.
In collaboration with the Research and Grants Committee, the Global Haematology SIG is responsible for the Global Haematology Scholarship, which supports those undertaking short-term educational UK-to-LMIC or LMIC-to-UK trips to gain experience in a different field, undertake new research and/or help establish and strengthen international links.
If you want to become involved in this or one of our other special interest groups, they are free to join and can bring knowledge and extra enjoyment to your daily work. Do sign up to get news updates and discover fresh and exciting opportunities.