Transition will start when you are a patient with the Children's Haematology Centre. You might come to the Bristol Royal Hospital for Children for all your appointments or if you don't live near Bristol might have some appointments at your local hospital and only have to come to Bristol occasionally, depending on how severe your condition is.

When you move to adult services your care may continue to be managed in Bristol in the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre or you may be seen in a local hospital.  Wherever your treatment is managed, the Bristol Haematology Centre can support you. They provide 24-hour open access treatment and advice for people with Thalassemia. Bristol provides a Haemoglobinopathy Co-Ordinating Centre and a Specialist Haemoglobinopathy Team to oversee your care. 

If you need to stay in hospital the adult ward might feel a bit different. The ward will support you; however if you are worried about this then don't hesitate to talk to your Thalassemia team too. They are there to help you and would want to hear your concerns. 

Thalassaemia is a complex condition that requires constant monitoring and adjustment of treatment to avoid potential complications. There can be support and involvement from a multi-disciplinary team and so you might have contact with specialities that help to support and manage some of the ways that Thalassaemia can impact you. These include:

• Bone health (including bone disease or Osteoporosis)
• Heart health
• Dental health
• Endocrine (including diabetes)
• Liver health (including hepatitis)
• Fertility and pregnancy