BIRMINGHAM has been chosen as one three places in the country to offer a pioneering new service to boost the number of Black heritage blood donors.
NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) new initiative, which is available at the city’s New Street Blood donor centre, is designed to make blood donation a more welcoming and empowering experience for Black heritage donors, by enabling them to give blood together.
The move comes after feedback from Black heritage groups revealed they were more likely to become regular blood donors if they could donate as part of a group or network – be that work colleagues, faith, community, or friendship groups.
In response, NHSBT has created a group booking system especially for Black heritage donors that allows them to reserve group slots to give blood together.
The aim is to create a shared experience that makes donating a more welcoming, inspiring and impactful experience.
Birmingham joins London and Manchester as the three cities to benefit from the new service.
The initiative was created to help boost the number of Black heritage donors whose blood holds the key to treating people living with sickle cell – the country’s fastest growing inherited blood disorder that affects around 18,000 people – each year 300 babies are born with the condition.
Sickle cell is more prevalent in people of Black heritage, and donors of African, Caribbean, or mixed ethnic backgrounds are ten times more likely than the white population to have the specific Ro blood subtype needed to treat the life-long condition.
NHSBT says with a single person with sickle cell potentially needing blood from up to 100 donors every year to stay healthy, it’s vitally important more Black donors come forward.
NHSBT director of donor experience, Mark Chambers, said: “The new group bookings initiative provides Birmingham groups, be they friends, colleagues, or community members, with the opportunity to reserve slots to give blood together.
“NHSBT is calling on Birmingham’s Black heritage communities to come together to take advantage of the new service and save up to three lives with each donation.
“The initiative is about creating a shared experience that makes donating more welcoming, inspiring, and impactful – especially for first time donors – in a setting that feels more like community than clinic.
“It harnesses the power of community and is a chance to come together, donate together, and save lives together.”
Birmingham based RAFFA International Development Agency and Walsall based sickle cell charity Plasma of Hope took advantage of the service in September.
Plasma of Hope founder and chief executive – Marie-Claire Kofi, and RAFFA chief executive, Angela Clarke, said: “Giving blood together is more than an act of service, it’s an act of unity.
“Group blood donation experiences help people overcome fear, build confidence, and see the power of community in action.
“Plasma of Hope and RAFFA International are proud to stand together in creating spaces where every drop truly gives hope”.
