This week the team at King’s met with a representative from the London Ambulance Service to talk about emergency provision for patients with sickle cell disease.
State your emergency
If patients state that their emergency is “sickle cell” when calling 999 they will be automatically given priority with an 8 minute response time and a crew with a paramedic on board when possible.
The LAS are updating their treatment algorithms for sickle cell patients to reflect the findings of a recent sickle user focus group which identified the three highest priorities from sickle patients and their families from LAS. They were: rapid analgesia, offer of a chair carry to the ambulance, and transport to their chosen dedicated treatment centre (rather than just the nearest A&E). LAS are trying to make sure that these areas are covered in their updated guidelines.
Patient Specific Protocols
We are working towards providing emergency pre-hospital Patient Specific Protocols (PSP) for named patients, which will be held centrally and confidentially by LAS and communicated to paramedic teams when attending the home of a patient with sickle cell disease who has a PSP. This should enable specific requirements identified by a patient or their treating team to be adhered to during an emergency in a pre-hospital setting.