Royal London Haemophilia Centre celebrates 50 years
Past and present directors, staff, patients and their families came together last month to celebrate 50 years of the Royal London Haemophilia Centre.
The Haemophilia Centre at The Royal London Hospital is one of the leading sites in Europe for the care and treatment of people living with bleeding disorders - a group of conditions where a person’s blood does not clot properly. Around 1 in 2,000 people in the UK have a diagnosed bleeding disorder and nearly all are inherited.
A history that begins in Whitechapel
The evening at Queen Mary University of London’s Old Library brought together many who have shaped the centre, and founder Professor Brian Colvin traced its history from the first description of a family with haemophilia at the London Hospital in 1886 to the growing role of haemophilia nursing and the development of the modern treatments we see today. Professor Colvin has also been instrumental in setting up the largest organisation for Haemophilia treaters (EAHAD).
Past and present Directors of the Royal London Haemophilia Centre. (Clockwise from top left: Professor John Pasi MBE, Dr Dan Hart, Professor Brian Colvin, Dr Priyanka Raheja)
Centre director Dr Priyanka Raheja paid tribute to everyone who has cared for thousands of patients and families over the years and, importantly, remembered those patients affected by contaminated blood and blood products, which infected more than 30,000 people in the UK with HIV and hepatitis between the 1970s and 1990s.
A lifeline for a lifetime
The centre is one of the few lifetime haemophilia sites in the UK, with a multidisciplinary team caring for children, adults and women’s health in one place. Whole families see the same team for life, with care often starting before birth through preconception clinics and family screening.
Dr Raheja said: “We’ve got children who’ve grown up with us. They were born with us, we took care of their mums when they were pregnant, and they’ve been with us into their 50s.”
The Golding family with members of their care team at the centre.
One such patient is David Golding from Corringham, joined by his family at the celebration evening. David has haemophilia A and has been visiting the centre at Royal London since he was born. He describes it affectionately as his “second home”.
“I’ve known most of the staff for over 30 years and they always ask how the family are and we generally catch up whenever I am in.”
Poppy, David’s second daughter, has also been diagnosed with mild haemophilia A while his youngest daughter Nova is awaiting further tests.
“If they’re going to receive the same level of care I have, then I’m really reassured,” said David.
Research and innovation at its core
In addition to the day-to-day care of its patients, the centre strives to offer the latest treatments through its programme of research and innovation.
After several senior clinicians left in 2022, Dr Raheja and Dr Suthesh Sivapalaratnam, consultant haematologist, took on and transformed the centre’s research programme, which currently has 15 clinical trials open and several translational research programmes.
The centre continues to operate at the forefront of medicine, having pioneered long-lasting gene therapy solutions for conditions such as haemophilia A and B, and recently recruited the first patient globally for a clinical trial in von Willebrand disease. The centre is also the only recruitment site for the Sutacimig drug for Factor VII deficiency world-wide.
“The success of the centre has been its ability to innovate and offer patients the latest advances,” said Dr Sivapalaratnam.
Dr Suthesh Sivapalaratnam in the research and testing labs at the centre.
With the launch of a new Clinical Research Facility planned on the 15th floor of Royal London Hospital in 2027, the centre will be able to more operations in-house, allowing the team to run the earliest-stage trials and bring the newest treatments to patients sooner.
“We’re excited about what the future holds for the centre and, most importantly, what we’ll be able to deliver for future generations of our patients,” said Dr Raheja.
She added, “A huge thanks to everyone who attended the 50th anniversary celebrations, and a special mention to Dr Laura Aiken and Heather Williams for pulling together the event.”
To find out more about the centre and its services, visit bartshealth.nhs.uk/haemophilia-centre.
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