Secondary Care Team of the Year winner's showcase

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This award celebrates innovation and dynamism in UK secondary care. The judges looked for teams that had produced measurable improvements in outcomes that mattered to patients and had shown evidence of strong teamwork. Acknowledging the current economic climate, the judges also looked for projects implemented within an organisation’s existing resources.

Paediatric Sickle Cell Disease Team, King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, UK

Sickle cell disease is probably the commonest cause of infarctive stroke in children in England. With one of the largest clinics in Europe, Kings College hospital instituted a programme of primary stroke prevention whose success was unanimously praised by the judges. Since 2005 all children with sickle cell disease between the ages of 2 and 16 attending King’s College Hospital have had ultrasound screening at least annually and in the last two years the team has extended its service to children in other hospitals in south London.

In the past three years there have been no new strokes among the hospital’s patients and whilst the team managed 9 children with sickle cell disease and infarctive stroke from other south London hospitals during this period, in 2010 no children with infarctive stroke presented to King’s College Hospital.

David Rees said:
"In many ways, sickle cell disease has been an orphan disease. Being shortlisted for (winning) this award is hopefully a sign that sickle cell disease is being accepted as an important condition in the UK. We are very grateful to the BMJ Group for recognising the work being done to prevent strokes in children with sickle cell disease, and the support given to us by King’s College Hospital and King’s College London."