Parents &
Carers
Haemophilia care centres
There are currently two types of haemophilia care centres in the UK, Comprehensive Care Centres and Haemophilia Centres. Each type of centre can provide a different sort of care. Please see below:
Comprehensive care centres
There are currently 26 haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centres (CCCs) in the UK. Patients can be referred to CCCs by a GP or they can refer themselves.
CCCs are adept at caring for the complexities of treatment faced by people with bleeding disorders. In addition to a full range of treatment and diagnostic services, they offer genetic counselling and diagnosis. CCCs are generally larger than Haemophilia Centres and deal with more patients (this is one of the criteria that needs to be met in order for a hospital to be designated a CCC). In addition, they often deal with the more severe cases of haemophilia, and it is recommended that anyone with severe or moderate haemophilia or those with inhibitors should have their care directed by a CCC.
It is also recommended by The Haemophilia Society that all children with haemophilia are registered with a paediatric CCC. This gives each parent someone to contact should they need extra help and advice. They can also be consulted by your local GP or local centre if either sees any changes in the person with haemophilia or if any surgery is required for another reason, even something as simple as having a tooth taken out.
CCCs are really centres of excellence with the widest possible range of specialist staff. To become a CCC the centre must be able to provide certain services, which include those listed below:
- 24 hour response for Haemophilia Centres, GPs and families
- Home therapy for people with severe haemophilia
- Counselling and social worker support
- Physiotherapy
- Diagnostic laboratory services
- Education programmes
- Specialist services (e.g. genetic counselling, dentistry, orthopaedic surgery, rheumatology)
Haemophilia centres
There are 81 Haemophilia Centres throughout the UK that provide routine care, information and support for children and adults with haemophilia and their families. They tend to be smaller than Comprehensive Care Centres. In some cases it can be difficult to tell the difference between a large Haemophilia Centre and a CCC. However, a large Haemophilia Centre that is not designated as a CCC will either have nearly all of the services a CCC offers (but not quite all of them) or they might have all of the services of a CCC but don’t treat as many patients.
