Lymphoedema

EDM number 437 in 2007-08, proposed by Mark Williams on 28/11/2007.
Categorised under the topics of Diseases, Equality and Health services.

That this House notes that at least 100,000 people in the UK suffer from lymphoedema, a chronic swelling which can affect any part of the body; is aware that the condition can be a distressing side effect of cancer and its treatments, but also occurs far more commonly in people who have not suffered from cancer; further notes that, with access to a lymphoedema clinic and the support of a lymphoedema practitioner, patients can do much to manage and control their condition; notes with great concern that there is a postcode lottery in the treatment of lymphoedema; is disappointed that in Ceredigion and in many other areas, patients do not have access to an NHS-funded lymphoedema clinic; is concerned that often treatment is only available for patients who have lymphoedema following treatment for cancer; recognises the excellent work of the Lymphoedema Support Network, a charitable organisation that battles to raise the profile of this condition with insufficient access to public funds; and calls on the Government, in co-operation with the Scottish Executive and the Welsh Assembly Government, to do more to recognise this condition, and on local health boards and primary care trusts to give full recognition to lymphoedema in all its forms, and make sure treatment is available for all patients at a local level.

This motion has been signed by a total of 54 MPs.