On the 14th January 2022, SCTSP had a meeting with Pat McFadden MP, chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia. Pat is a Labour MP for Bilston since May 2005.
He is also the Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Councillor Beverley Momenabadi, representing Ettingshall and Cabinet lead for Children and Young People, also attended.
The APPG recently produced a report on sickle cell care, No One’s Listening. The purpose of the meeting with Pat and Beverley was for Pat to tell the Project and a group of service users about the report, and to hear from those present about their experiences. The Project team outlined the services they provide. The users spoke powerfully about their experiences and concerns, many of which had been told by others to the APPG authors when they were preparing their report.
There was an agreement of the need to reduce the inequalities faced by sickle cell patients in UK, and to improve their care and experience. Pat and Beverley acknowledged the problems and were determined to continue to pursue the road to improving the experiences faced by the sickle cell community.