A to Z of services

The Haematology Department provides comprehensive clinical and laboratory services based at Croydon University Hospital. Treatment is also offered at Purley War Memorial Hospital and the Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre.

The team aims to provide a high quality clinical service for patients with haematological disorders, tailored to individual needs and delivered with courtesy and kindness. There is a strong emphasis on haematological malignancies (encompassing acute and chronic leukaemia’s, lymph proliferative conditions, myeloproliferative conditions, plasma-cell dyscrasias-including multiple myeloma, plasmacytoma, amyloidosis and MGUS) and Haemoglobinopathies, in addition to Haemostasis and Thrombosis and general haematology.

What we treat

The clinical service is an in-patient, out-patient and day-care service:

• Haematology inpatients are managed in 10 inpatient beds (including four side rooms) on Duppas 1 and 2 wards.
• Outpatient sessions are undertaken in the main out patients department. Haematology outpatient clinics are General Haematology clinics, offering diagnosis, treatment and monitoring to patients diagnosed with malignant and benign haematology conditions.
• There are nine consultant-led clinics, three Nurse Consultant-led clinics and three Senior Haematology Registrar/Haematology Specialty Doctor clinics per week.
• Bone marrow clinics are provided weekly by the nurse consultant and the Senior Haematology Registrar or Haematology Specialty Doctor every fortnight.
• Day Care Service is undertaken in the Lifeblood Suite, a dedicated Haematology Unit for administration of chemotherapy, transfusions, venesections and intravenous iron infusions. It is run by one Haematology Clinical Nurse Specialist and two Band 6 haemato-oncology nurse specialists.

The service has a new, purpose-built space in Croydon University Hospital and it accommodates direct GP referrals for iv iron therapy more easily.

Haemato-Oncology service

The Haemato-Oncology Service is closely linked to the Royal Marsden Hospital, through a weekly Multidisciplinary Team Meeting, where diagnosis and treatment of Haematological Malignancies is discussed and established. The Royal Marsden Hospital is also the Tertiary Referral Centre for Salvage chemotherapy and Autologous and Allogeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation and is the Designated Diagnostic Centre for Hematologic Malignancies. The weekly MDT meeting includes specialist input from the Royal Marsden, Croydon University Hospital as well as Epsom and St. Helier’s hospitals ensuring every patient with a malignant diagnosis is afforded robust diagnostic and management discussion. 

Haemoglobinopathy Service

The Haemoglobinopathy Service is supported by the haemoglobinopathy nurse practitioners and the offsite Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Centre.  The Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Centre also provides counselling, education and hospital community liaison. The Haemoglobinopathies Service is part of the South Thames Sickle Cell and Thalassemia Network, with close collaboration with King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’s Hospital as Tertiary Referral Centres.

Haemostasis and Thrombosis Service

The Haemostasis and Thrombosis Service is provided through out-patient clinics, postal anticoagulation service and domiciliary anticoagulation service. It offers new patient consultations for initiation of anticoagulation (including new generation oral anticoagulants), follow-up and monitoring of patients established on anticoagulation treatment, peri-operative anticoagulation bridging and consultations on cessation of anticoagulation. The service has moved to paperless records, with exclusive use of INR-STAR for management and monitoring of anticoagulation.  Referrals are accepted on paper form via fax/mail.  We also see patients with a range of bleeding and thrombotic issues for diagnosis and subsequent management. Regarding Haemophilia Care, we offer diagnostic and follow-up care and ad-hoc factor support for mild cases, discussed with the Haemophilia Centre where the patient is registered. Severe, complex or challenging cases may be referred to St George’s Hospital or Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust for further evaluation

Laboratory Haematology

The Trust is part of a three Trust model of South West London Pathology Network comprising ofCroydon Health Services, St Georges and Kingston Hospital. With effect from 1 April 2014, there has been a gradual reconfiguration of pathology services with St Georges Hospital being the hub andCroydon and Kingston hospitals providing Spoke services within this model. The Haematology and Blood Transfusion Laboratories isCPA accredited and the Blood Transfusion service isMHRA compliant.  The laboratories have recently undergone refurbishment with replacement of nearly all the haematology analysers with automated technology. The haematology laboratory has developed a comprehensive antenatalhaemoglobinopathy screening service.

Location

Croydon University Hospital

530 London Road

Croydon

CR7 7YE

Contacts

Haematology: 020 8401 3977 or email: ch-tr.haematology@nhs.net

Anticoagulation / warfarin department 020 8401 5673 or email: ch-tr.anticoag@nhs.net

Lifeblood Suite 020 8401 3670

Haematology wards

Duppas 1 020 8401 3259

Duppas 2 020 8401 3262

Haematology day care facility open from 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

Nurse-led end of treatment Clinic Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm.

Our team

Consultants:

• Dr Betty Cheung, Consultant Haematologist, clinical Lead and lead in Transfusion Medicine
• Dr Nnenna Osuji, Consultant Haematologist, leads in Haemato-oncology
• Dr Al-Jehani, Consultant Haematologist, leads in Haemato-oncology
• Dr Stella Kotsiopoulou, Consultant Haematologist, leads in Haemoglobinopathies
• Dr Shalini Solanki, Consultant Haematologist, leads in Haemostasis and Thrombosis
• Dr Carroll Buttriss, Specialty Doctor in Anticoagulation
• Dr Jane Ritchie, Specialty Doctor in Anticoagulation

Nurses:

• Jackie Green, Nurse Consultant
• Alison Fernando, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Key worker
• Judith Darville, Haematology Nurse
• Brigit Gyamfi, Haematology Nurse