Bath MP Wera Hobhouse has backed a campaign by blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan, calling for better care for people recovering from a stem cell transplant.
Despite stem cell transplant patients often being known as “patients for life” due to the long-term side-effects of the treatment, many patients are not receiving adequate support for the physical, practical and psychological challenges they experience during recovery.
According to research by Anthony Nolan, one in five are not offered any specialist care to help with their recovery, which includes access to physiotherapists, counsellors, and fertility experts.
Wera Hobhouse said: “A number of my constituents have got in touch to bring this issue to my attention, so I know how important it is for people in Bath that stem cell transplant patients and their families receive appropriate support.
“No patient’s recovery should be made more difficult by a lack of care and support, and that’s why I’m backing Anthony Nolan’s campaign, urging health commissioners to review the care arrangements they have in place once transplant patients leave hospital.”
Anthony Nolan is calling on health commissioners across the UK to urgently review the care arrangements they have in place for transplant recipients once they leave hospital, to ensure that patients and their families can continue to access vital support and services.
National commissioners pay for any treatment needed by patients for the first 100 days after transplant.
After this point, responsibility for funding services passes to local commissioners – in England, the patients’ local Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG).
However, a Freedom of Information request by Anthony Nolan found that at present, fewer than one in ten (9%) CCGs have specific arrangements in place.
At an event in the House of Commons on Wednesday 11th October, Wera Hobhouse MP heard from patient representatives about how difficult recovery can be without appropriate support.
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, said: “It’s vital that health commissioners carry out an urgent review into the long-term care that stem cell transplant recipients need throughout their recovery, so we’re delighted to have the support of Wera Hobhouse in raising awareness of this issue in Parliament and in their constituency.
“Anthony Nolan is calling on health commissioners to work with us and the clinical community and make sure that post-transplant care works for every patient, to ensure they get the support they need to make a good recovery.”
