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16
Mar 2021
Welsh centres of excellence could help lupus patients and ‘extend lives’
Calls have been made for specialist support in Wales to treat an incurable and life limiting condition which takes an average of six years to diagnose.
It is estimated that there are currently 2,000 people in Wales affected by lupus. It occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks healthy parts of the body and there is no known cure.
Paul Howard, of the charity Lupus UK, said “Many GPs and even consultant rheumatologists have limited experience in diagnosing, treating and monitoring patients with lupus, which means that specialist care is often required.”
Mr Howard has called for investment in support services, but in the meantime has asked for rules over cross-border referrals to be relaxed, so that the nine centres of excellence in England can be accessed by patients in Wales.
Melanie Sloan of Cambridge University is leading a team surveying the impact of a lack of services in Wales. Of the 236 respondents, 43 per cent of those in Wales said they had been refused a referral to see a specialist, compared to 21 per cent in the rest of the UK.
Campaign group Fair Treatment for the Women of Wales, said there is a lack of awareness and lack of investment in specialist services.
A spokesperson from the group said “Within our patient community, we hear far too often of women’s symptoms being downplayed or not adequately managed and this has significant consequences for patients’ long-term health.”
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Posted by Karen Motley, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (tonymay@chadlaw.co.uk ), medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.
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