Health inequalities for patients with sickle cell disease

That this House welcomes the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia’s report, No One’s Listening, which highlighted the growing burden of sickle cell disease in the UK; notes that the report revealed a pattern of several years of sub-standard care, stigmatisation and lack of prioritisation which have resulted in deep failings in the care sickle cell patients receive; agrees with the view that severe health inequalities are associated with the long-standing lack of investment in sickle cell research and new medicines; is concerned about delays in the introduction of a health inequalities modifier, which would allow treatments for conditions where inequalities are a concern, such as sickle cell, to be more readily approved, following the conclusion of the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence’s (NICE) methods and processes review; calls on the Government to implement the recommendations of the APPG on Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia’s report in full; and encourages the Government to actively engage with NICE to ensure work on the introduction of a health inequalities modifier is prioritised with clear timelines.