What better way to start 2025 than with a celebration of excellence within the haematology community! King’s honours have been awarded to two of our BSH members, Prof. Ajay Vora and Dr. Gail Miflin.
Ajay’s contribution to and leadership in childhood leukaemia research, as Paediatric Haematologist at Great Ormond Street Hospital and Professor at Sheffield University, has helped improve survival of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia to over 90%. Ajay relayed this material progress in the BSH medal lecture at the 2024 Annual Scientific Meeting.
Gail, as Chief Medical Officer for NHS Blood and Transplant, set up the framework and delivery of UK plasma for medicines which will be ready for patients this year. Congratulations to both for these well-deserved honours!
So what is in store for the year ahead? The new government’s 10-year plan is due to be published in the spring. The objective is to transform how health and care services are organised, accessed and delivered. Emphasis will be on three directional shifts; reducing hospital admissions through prevention of disease, enhancing discharge through improved social care, and increasing digitalisation. We fully support these strategic themes but are also mindful that the £22 billion of additional NHS spending, set aside in the autumn budget for the next two years, could be used inefficiently and will be operationally spread thinly.
The government’s reorganisation of elective care will include expansion of the Advice & Guidance scheme, with incentive payments of £20 to GPs, to discuss a patient with a hospital specialist before, or instead of, a referral. We support this principle, recognising that our advice & guidance systems as being crucial in avoiding unnecessary hospital attendances, enhancing opportunities for early diagnosis and reducing patient wait times and anxiety.
However, this liaison work needs to be fully recognised and funded. There is a predicted two-thirds increase in Advice and Guidance activity. The BSH workforce studies have already identified liaison haematology as a large area of work which is not currently accounted for in job plans. We will be conducting phase 2 of the liaison study shortly and with this information, will work with the Royal College of Physicians and other organisations to ensure that the funding for the specialist element will be in future contracts and that dedicated time will be properly allocated in job plans. This will align and support the government’s aims in preventative healthcare.
We will be inputting into the revised long-term workforce plan. BSH workforce research data shows that staff morale remains challenging, and we are committed to improving working lives, ensuring recognition of the unseen elements of our work, and enhancing research opportunities for our members. Emma Searle, as new chair of the Research and Grant committee will be leading a fresh look at our processes, grants and awards for research support for members. This got off to a good start with our brainstorming session last week.
Andy Evens and Phil Scheinberg started their roles as Editors in Chief of the British Journal of Haematology and the eJHaem Gold open access journal, respectively. Andy, from New Jersey and Phil, from São Paulo have long been associated with our journals and are committed to maintaining their proximity with the BSH and UK haematology.
Plans for the annual scientific meeting are going smoothly. We have received more abstracts than ever before. Invitations arestill open for abstract submissions for HaemSTAR’s entertaining Dragons’ Den session. This session is led by the ever-inspiring HaemSTAR committee of trainee doctors leading collaborative research in Medical (non-malignant) Haematology, along with the UK-Thrombosis Research Network (UK-TReN), a network of multidisciplinary healthcare professionals promoting research in thrombosis. Two winner abstracts, which propose collaborative haemostasis and thrombosis research ideas, will be selected for presentation.
The social plans for the ASM are also alive and well. Carol (CEO), Theresa (Director of External Affairs) and I enjoyed some Ceilidh practice at a Burn’s night event, kindly hosted at the London Guildhall by the Glasgow conference centre – Scottish Event Centre (SEC).
We are very much looking forward to the conference!