The Anaemia Manifesto, which sets out a five-point plan to address variations in the management of iron deficiency anaemia, has been launched in Westminster.
The Manifesto is a call to action authored by a collaboration of UK healthcare professionals and charities, which could save over 8000 hospital bed stays and over £8million in NHS spending each year.
Measures are also outlined to ensure that patients with iron deficiency anaemia are diagnosed earlier, given appropriate treatment and followed up in the long-term.
Marie Chowrimootoo, anaemia nurse specialist and president of the Anaemia Nurse Specialist Association (ANSA) said: 'The manifesto provides feasible and achievable guidance on how to address the variations across clinical practices that currently exist. As specialist nurses we have the autonomy and duty of care to contribute positively to the implementation of these steps wherever possible.'
The five-point plan covers tailoring services locally, defining and measuring success through a number of metrics and the importance of educating healthcare professionals through e-learning packages.
Management of iron deficiency anaemia across England has been inconsistent, with up to a five-fold variation in emergency admissions between CCGs. Recent hospital statistics have shown that emergency admissions for iron deficiency anaemia across England are rising and there are now more than 17,000 such admissions every year costing the NHS £28.3million.
Oliver Colvile, MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport, said: 'I’m really pleased to be supporting the Anaemia Manifesto launch today. There is an urgent need for government to recognise not only the savings the NHS can make, but also the benefits to patients that could be achieved by addressing emergency admissions for treatable conditions such as IDA. We need to work together to alleviate the pressure on our Accident and Emergency (A&E) departments wherever possible.'
Currently there are no national guidelines specifically for the management of iron defciency anaemia. It can often be linked with conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease, digestive disorders, chronic heart failure, lung disease, rheumatoid arthritis and kidney disease.