ONE of Merseyside’s leading legal campaigners for sufferers of asbestos-related diseases has met with government officials to discuss the implementation of new guidelines for care of mesothelioma sufferers.
Marking National Mesothelioma Day last week, Joe Skinner, senior partner at Birkenhead-based firm JM Skinner & Co, met with health minister Alan Johnson and government “cancer tsar� Professor Mike Richards.
Mr Skinner, along with representatives of the British Lung Foundation, who fund research into finding a cure for the disease, met with the parliamentary officials in order to address the inequality in nationwide standards of care.
He told LDP Legal: “The mesothelioma charter is a document designed to ask the government to implement a uniform minimum level of care for sufferers, as it can be very diverse – in some areas there is very good care and centres of excellence, in others it is really poor.
“Now the Government has brought in guidelines for all the country, and I want to make sure Liverpool, Wirral and Ellesmere Port implement them early, ahead of the pack. There is a minimum we must do for all sufferers in terms of advice and care. Historically, sufferers have been a little bit neglected. It’s something that is close to home as Merseyside is a blackspot for mesothelioma. It was good to have an opportunity to speak to the relevant ministers and make sure various cases are being heard and not overlooked.�
Mr Skinner is currently undertaking an 18 month challenge to run some of the world’s toughest marathons – and many others inbetween – to raise funds for BLF.