'Appalling' failure to notify blood disorders led to national changes

DERBYSHIRE NHS FAILED TO NOTIFY MORE THAN 800 FAMILIES

- By EDDIE BISKNELL

A 12-year failure of Derbyshire NHS services in notifying hundreds of families about potential blood disorders has led to national changes for a strict six-week deadline.

Last Spring, the Derby Telegraph disclosed the Derbyshire NHS failed to tell more than 800 Derbyshire families about the sickle cell carrier status of their babies for 12 years - January 2012 to June 2024.

Sickle cell carrier status means babies with this condition do not have the blood disorder themselves but have the ability to pass it onto their own children.

The process of notifying parents almost entirely from an African or Caribbean background about the carrier status of their children had been carried out by a sole employee whose contract was defunded in 2012.

It took a further 12 years for the NHS to realise the function was never transferred to another employee or department.