I am calling for more awareness and better provisions for sufferers of Sickle Cell Disorder after meeting with some of the countries top experts on the disease.

I was contacted by a constituent whose son suffers from Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) and had concerns about the care that is being provided to people, in particular children who suffer from the illness. Sickle Cell is a blood disorder that affects 1 in every 2000 children in the UK. Currently around 15,000 people across the UK suffer from the illness making it the most common blood condition and the figures are set to rise in the next 10 years.

I met with Professor Simon Dyson, Director of the Unit for the Social Study of thalassaemia and Sickle Cell at De Montford University who conducted research to find the experiences of children with sickle cell in school and Dr. Darbyshire consultant haematologist at Birmingham's children hospital, who was asked by the Department of Health to look into the systems in place across the country for dealing with Sickle Cell and thalassaemia

Hearing Professor Dyson's and Dr Darbyshires' concerns about the provision of patients in England was very useful. I was shocked to hear that children were becoming unnecessarily ill all across the country due to a lack of knowledge about the condition

Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia are at a high risk of suffering from strokes and need to stay well hydrated and take regular toilet breaks in order to prevent a crisis from occurring. They may also not be able to participate in PE lessons and can often feel tired; Professor Dyson's research showed that many children were being called lazy if they felt tired or did not feel able to participate in PE lessons. They were also prevented from going to the toilet and taking drinks in lass.

It is also really important that we raise awareness of this condition so that schools are able to help sufferers manage their symptoms. Birmingham has some state of the art hospitals and we should be leading the way in giving top quality care to all patients, I know that hospital staff are doing fantastic work but it is clear that more needs to be done.

This a serious condition and apart from affecting the health of the child it can also effect their social lives if their illness means they need to miss school leading them to feel excluded from their friends. I have already contacted local health chiefs and the minister responsible for schools to find out what can be done to ensure that children suffering from Sickle Cell not only stay healthy but have the same enjoyable school experience as their fellow pupils and are able to grow up and lead normal healthy lives.