House of Commons – July 14, 2015

That this House is concerned that, of the estimated 11,300 blood cancer patients in the UK who will need a stem cell transplant in the next five years, one in eight will fail to find the matching donor they need; is further concerned that the odds of finding a donor drop significantly for patients from black, Asian and minority ethnic backgrounds; is concerned that, of those who do receive a stem cell transplant, over a third of adults and almost a fifth of children will not survive the first year; notes that, by 2020, over 16,000 post-transplant patients will be living with the long-term side-effects and complications of their treatment and are currently not guaranteed access to adequate care and support; therefore supports the publication of Anthony Nolan's Destination: Cure report which makes the case for action to be taken in response to these challenges, including ongoing investment to ensure continued growth of the UK's adult donor and donated cord blood stem cell supply, robust support for research infrastructure that drives improvement of outcomes for all patients, including a national stem cell transplantation trials network and resource for data collection, and a national care pathway for at least five years after transplant to ensure that patients are guaranteed access to high quality care which meets their long-term needs; and calls on the Government to do all it can to support the recruitment of donors, boost scientific research and provide long-term care for patients in need.