Staff from the F11 Haematology Ward at Oldham Care Organisation have received some specialist training on the subject of aplastic anaemia, an extremely rare and life-threatening blood disorder that can affect the body's ability to create new blood cells.

Aplastic anaemia is caused by the bone marrow not functioning properly, meaning patients' bodies are unable to create new cells and tissue cannot grow or regenerate. In people with aplastic anaemia, the bone marrow fails to produce enough of all three types of blood cells – red, white and platelets. 

• Red blood cells are essential for carrying oxygen around the body
• White blood cells help us fight infections, bugs and germs
• Platelets are responsible for stopping us bleeding and bruising. 

Aplastic Anaemia can affect anyone of any age but is most common in the young (0 to 20 years old) and elderly (60 years old +). It is estimated that between 100 and 150 people will be diagnosed in the UK every year. That's around 2 people for every 1,000,000 of population, making it a very rare disease.

The haematology ward at Oldham provides treatment to patients with this condition and these patients often receive the same treatment as cancer patients.

With it being a rare condition to treat, some 22 ward staff took up the opportunity to undertake some specialist training to find out more about the condition, its causes, symptoms and the treatment options available, as well as information on the support currently available to patients and their families living across the UK.

The session was delivered over 2 days by Simon Slade, Clinical Nurse Specialist from King's College Hospital in London and Grazina Berry, Chief Executive of The Aplastic Anaemia Trust, who provided an informative session for haematology staff with interactive presentations and general discussion. 

Maria Fernandez, lead haematology nurse:

Thank you Grazina and Simon for a fabulous learning opportunity provided to our nurses!