Professor Carole Longson MBE, Director of the Nice Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, said: “Sickle cell can be a painful, debilitating condition, potentially leading to major organ damage.

“Treatments are very limited, so this new guidance recommends a novel option which is very good news for patients as it makes the red blood cell exchange process faster and less frequent. The device could save the NHS in England an estimated £13 million each year – around £18,000 per patient – with the size of the saving depending on the patient’s condition and the equipment already owned by the NHS.”

In sickle cell disease, blood cells are a crescent – or sickle – shape instead of the normal round disc shape, affecting the cell’s ability to carry oxygen and move around the body.

Symptoms may include intense pain and severe anaemia, and the condition can cause damage to major organs and infections, and life-threatening complications. There is no cure for sickle cell disease but patients can be supported to manage the condition.

Curently blood transfusion therapies increase the amount of iron in a person’s body which can lead to serious problems such as liver disease or heart failure. Iron limiting therapy is required to reduce the amount of iron in the body, but this treatment can make some patients feel unwell and is very expensive for the NHS.