Lymphoma Association appoint former head of British Homeopathic Association as Chief Executive *Update*

Sally Penrose, former head of the British Homeopathic Association (BHA), has been appointed the new Chief Executive of the Lymphoma Association (LA).  The Association, in their latest newsletter, state that:

She joins us on 6 July and brings a wide range of experience.  Sally spent the early part of her career in the book publishing industry, and more recently has held the position of Chief Executive of a charity, with a good knowledge of the health-care sector.  I am sure you will join me in welcoming her to the Association and wishing her every success.

This is a worrying appointment by the LA as they have a well deserved reputation for good advice for people in a difficult situation.

Founded by patients in 1986, the Lymphoma Association is the only specialist UK charity that provides accurate medical information and support to lymphatic cancer patients, their families, friends and carers.

The British Homeopathic Association by contrast are a lobbying group for quackery, describing their role as follows:

The British Homeopathic Association exists to promote homeopathy practised by doctors and other health-care professionals.

We strongly believe that homeopathy should be fully integrated into the health-care system and available as a treatment choice for everyone.

Homeopathy is utterly implausible as a treatment for any condition, any effect observed is most likely due to placebo and it may well cause harm by delaying or preventing medical treatment.  With this in mind we should consider how Penrose has spent her time at the BHA.   She has managed the organisation while they launched campaigns for the use of NHS funding for homeopathy, promoted it as a valid treatment option and harassed and tried to discredit critics over minor issues in attempts to preserve NHS funding.

The attacks on homeopathy by a group of eminent scientists and doctors continued this year and the impact started to be felt as a number of Primary Care Trusts started cutting contracts with Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital and the Royal London Homeopathic Hospital. In May, a second letter from the same group of eminent scientists to PCTs, accompanied by a decommissioning document for use by PCTs, which included an NHS logo in the top right hand corner, was leaked to The Times. An immediate rebuttal was made through the media and this was followed by a letter to all PCTs refuting the arguments levelled against homeopathy together with our two-page summary of the evidence base.

The application document for the role of Chief Executive details the following desirable qualities:

•    A proven track record of setting and articulating a compelling vision and leading and managing diverse operations.
•    Effective team-building, staff and organisational development with ability to create a culture of professionalism and cohesiveness within an organisation.
•    A proven track record of effective strategic planning and financial acumen.
•    Demonstrable experience of building and sustaining relationships with a range of internal and external stakeholders including influencing key decision makers.
•    Confident and highly developed communication skills with a wide range of audiences, including the media.
•    Ability to demonstrate a full understanding of governance and how to work effectively with a board and how to act as a conduit for information between the board and staff.
•    A track record of achievement in income generation.
•    Knowledge and understanding of the structure, financing and politics of the health/cancer sectors in the UK.
•    A nursing or healthcare qualification whilst not essential would be an advantage.
•    Ability to quickly absorb the medical issues and terminology surrounding lymphomas and to represent the work of the Association intelligently in a variety of medical and non-medical settings.
•    A clear and persuasive communicator who is capable of delivering complex messages to a variety of audiences, raising the profile of the organisation.
•    A commitment to the highest standards of service delivery.
•    Ability to instil confidence and trust in others through a collaborative style of working and making difficult decisions.

While there is no reason to doubt Ms Penrose’s ability to manage the internal workings of an organisation the evidence would suggest that her ability to manage their external appearance and to generate income is questionable.  During her time at the BHA Ms Penrose has seen falling membership, declining revenue, failed to save Tunbridge Wells Homeopathic Hospital and managed largely unsuccessful attempts to reverse the growing criticism of homeopathy within the media and health professions, of course these aren’t her sole responsibility and she was reacting to external events to some extent but nevertheless it’s tricky to spin positively.  MS Penrose’s obvious expertise would seem to be restricted to  Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM).

Additionally the application form for the position at the Lymphoma Association makes clear that Ms Penrose will be expected to

[...] raise the profile of the Association externally and to enhance its development and reputation as the leading provider of information and support for those affected by lymphatic cancers.  As the external face of the charity the Chief Executive will be expected to represent the views of those affected by lymphomas to the wider cancer community including policymakers and parliamentarians.

Ms Penrose carries considerable reputational baggage amongst those concerned with evidence based practice and the proper distribution of NHS funds to valid and effective treatment options.
Worryingly the LA, despite their stated commitment to ‘accurate medical information’, have recently appeared to start endorsing CAM therapies.  At their recent National Conference, Jacky Owens, who describes herself as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine – a title anyone prepared to pay a £300 subscription can use, gave a presentation on alternative therapies that claims homeopathy, amongst other treatments, has “some scientific evidence of effectiveness” as well as bizarre claims that healing touch can restore energy fields, aromathrapay oils affect specific structures in the limbic system and hypnosis works at a ‘cellular level’.  This is nonsense and it is depressing that the Association are appearing to promote these concepts.  These clash badly with their detailed, well researched and balanced articles on effective interventions for lymphoma and the possible side effects.
There is no doubt that conventional treatments for lymphoma are nasty, but they work.  Nice smelling oils, sugar pills and hypnotic suggestion may have a placebo effect and act as pleasent distractions from the unpleasent side effects of chemotherapy but the Association should not be endorsing these in the way they seem to be doing.  The employment of a cheerleader for homeopathy as Chief Executive only bolsters an impression of serious misjudgement.
I put my concerns about Sally Penrose to the LA.  On the subject of complementary medicine the LA responded:

[...]all of our information, which is distributed to thousands of people a year, assumes conventional therapy to be the standard treatment for all patients, and any mention of complementary therapy, including homeopathy, to be just that – complementary.  Indeed, our booklet, entitled Lymphomas, states ‘Complementary therapies do not claim to cure lymphoma.  Be suspicious of any that do.  Complementary therapies should not be used instead of your hospital treatment but can be used in addition to it if you choose.’

On the subject of Ms Penrose

Ms Penrose was employed because of her professional management experience to lead the organisation as its Chief Executive.  Certainly, in appointing Ms Penrose to this role, nothing has changed with regards to the organisation’s position on this subject, and she is committed to this policy.

But the reassuring nature of this last statement is somewhat undermined with the admission that

a booklet about Complementary Therapies will be available soon

although it should be made clear this booklet has nothing to do with Ms Penrose, having being commissioned before her appointment.

I sincerely hope that Ms Penrose’s appointment has nothing to do with her past experience in CAM and that the Lymphoma Association maintain their admirable commitment to conventional medical treatments.  But I find it difficult to believe that somebody who has spent several years campaigning for a utterly discredited branch of CAM can suddenly switch her allegiances to that of promoting evidence based medicine.  This, combined with recent and upcoming promotion of CAM by the association, is a cause for concern.  People with serious diseases, and their relatives, are often easy prey for those who wish to offer treatments outside the scientific and medical mainstream, almost always at a price.  Charities working with these individuals have to be incredibly careful that they act in the best interests of their members.  I do not wish to undermine the Lymphoma Association or their work, it is essential, but I believe it would be desirable to keep a close eye on their position on CAM and the advice they offer.  With a cheerleader for CAM at their helm they may be tempted by the empty platitudes offered by alternative practitioners, or worse, they may become an active part of the CAM lobby that seeks to divert the precious resource of NHS funding into implausible treatments.

*Update*

It appears the Lymphoma Association have amended their website to remove references to homeopahty and the presentation of Jacky Owens from this page, although her presentation is still hosted on the site.    They also now include this news item, which describes Sally Penrose as having “worked closely with both patients and the medical profession.”.  Yes, she has.  Unfortunately she’s worked with the part of the medical profession that is quackery inclined.