§ Ms Oona KingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve the support available to sufferers of(a) sickle cell disease and (b) thalassaemia. [143609]
§ Mr. DenhamThere are a range of hospital and community services in place to support patients with sickle cell and thalassaemia disorders. We are improving services through the development of a new national screening programme for haemoglobinopathies, by raising public and professional awareness and through research designed to provide evidence about the effectiveness of current treatments.