Chief Executive of the British Society for Haematology (BSH), Carol Bewick, said “Whilst a long term vision is welcome and essential for addressing the complex challenges facing our health service, there remains much to be done to deliver tangible improvements for patients living with blood disorders. This plan will result in significant impact on both the patient and workforce experience by moving care from the hospital setting to the community. For haematology, this means addressing the challenge of limited specialist resources and training for community teams. We look forward to working with Government to help ensure that community nurses and GPs receive the additional training they will need to manage complex blood disorders safely and effectively outside of hospital settings.
“Our recent workforce research clearly demonstrates the critical challenges faced by haematology professionals - from significant shortages and unrecorded 'invisible' work in liaison and transfusion, to the emotional toll of their roles –which can all affect patient outcomes. While the plan signals that addressing flexible working and faster diagnostic services could be addressed, its success for haematology will hinge on concrete support in recruitment and training, equitable distribution of our specialist workforce, and robust recognition of all the complex work that keeps patients safe and well.
“We will study the plan in detail and look forward to collaborating with our stakeholders to continue to advocate for the haematology community, to ensure this plan delivers a resilient and patient centred focus for haematology.”