CASE STUDIES - Sickle Cell Society’s awareness month

Matty Asante-Owusu
Specialist Community Matron at the Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Centre in Islington

I wanted to be a nurse because I wanted a career where I could support people in their time of need. I also felt it was important that the care people receive is of a high standard and I felt I could make a difference.

Being a community matron means developing personalised care plans for patients based on a full assessment of their needs. These also support carers, relatives and other health professionals in the delivery of their care. I am part of a multidisciplinary team of Consultant Haematologists, Clinical Nurse Specialists, Clinical Psychologists and Social Workers, which manages individuals with high complex needs. Raising awareness of sickle cell is also an important part of my job and I regularly teach and give presentations to social care partners on the condition.

The best thing about my job is being able to care for patients when they are in a sickle cell crisis at home, thereby avoiding the need for hospital intervention. I also enjoy building relationship with patients. Seeing them live independently in the community and self-managing their disorder is an incredibly satisfying part of my job.

Awareness of sickle cell needs to be brought into the mainstream and not be just considered as a black disease. Sickle cell is now the most common recessive genetic condition in England with 240,000 people thought to be healthy carriers and up to 13,500 people with the disease. I believe that there is a need for sickle cell education to be included in the mainstream curriculum for nurses and doctors.

Islington PCT has been really proactive in developing my role and addressing sickle cell and inequalities in health. As the first Specialist Community Matron in Sickle Cell in Islington, I feel very lucky as it is an incredibly rewarding role.