Service Manager for the Manchester Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia Service and lead specialist Haemoglobinopathy Counsellor. The service provides a high-quality specialist service to the residents of Greater Manchester who are ‘at risk’ of or have been found to have Sickle Cell & Thalassaemia. Verna was involved from the very inception of the service in Manchester, which evolved from an initial 2-year action research post. She has a strong nursing background having qualified and practised as a General Nurse, Midwife, Health Visitor, Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Genetic Counsellor.
Verna contributed as a specialist expert and trainer for the PEGASUS Programme and was a member of the Editorial working group on ‘Standards for the Clinical Care of Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in the UK’ 1st & 2nd Edition, she was a member of the Screening for Haemoglobinopathies Committee for the First Trimester (SHIFT) Project and became a member of the Expert Working Group of the Department of Health’s National Haemoglobinopathy (commissioning) Project. Peer reviewer for Haemoglobinopathies PACA advisor for NHS England.
Verna has previously been the recipient of a Manchester Evening News award for her contribution to the community and an outstanding achievement award by the National Sickle Cell Society. Currently, she is a member of the B Positive choir that is participating in the popular Britain’s Got Talent TV show competition; which is part of the National Blood Transfusion Campaign to increase awareness of sickle cell and encourage blood donation from the Black community.