Local Grassroots groups to get share of £685k grant to deliver projects encouraging more Black and Asian people to become blood, organ, and stem cell donors

Ten community groups and organisations working in the North West have received a share of £685,000 funding as part of the Government’s commitment to continue to tackle health inequalities and promote organ, blood, and stem cell donation among Black and Asian communities.

The Community Grants Programme, previously known as the Community Investment Scheme, is managed by NHS Blood and Transplant and helps to fund community, faith, or belief organisations to deliver projects that encourage more Black and Asian people to become donors.

More donors are urgently needed because the shortage of donors from Black and Asian communities means patients from these communities can have worse outcomes.

People from the same ethnic background are more likely to be a match.

NHSBT can only provide the best matched blood for people with sickle cell around half the time.

Sickle cell is the fastest growing genetic condition in the UK.

It is more prevalent in people from Black African or Black Caribbean backgrounds.

The NHS needs a record 250 blood donations a day to treat people with sickle cell.

Black and Asian people wait longer for organ transplants.

People from Black, Asian, Mixed or Other minority ethnic backgrounds make up one third of all people on the transplant waiting list, due to the difficulties finding a match.

White patients have about 80-90% chance of finding a stem cell match from a stranger.

However, Black, Asian and mixed race people can only find a stem cell match from a stranger around 30-40% of the time.

The Community Grants Programme scheme has shown that enabling grassroots organisations to champion organ, blood and stem cell donation in a culturally relevant way increases awareness and engagement, helping move towards greater health equality and a more diverse donor base.

Anthony Nolan is again supporting the programme by providing 40% of the contribution towards projects working on stem cell donation.

Funds that were available for each area were around:

·       Blood donation projects - £242,000

·       Living kidney donation projects - £113,000

·       Deceased organ donation projects - £128,000

·       Stem cell donation projects - £102,000

·       Combined donation projects (covering more than one type of donation) - £100,000

One example of an organisation in the North West that will be receiving funding is the Caribbean and African Health Network (CAHN), which is a Black-led organisation set up to address the wider social factors to eradicate health disparities for Caribbean and African people in the United Kingdom.

Charles Kwaku-Odoi, Chief Executive of The Caribbean and African Health Network, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with NHS Blood and Transplant again to continue to drive engagement around this very important agenda.

“We are keen to raise awareness of blood and organ donation so that our communities understand how vital that donated gift could be to save and improve the lives of those that need their help."

More information about the Community Grants Programme  can be found here, or by contacting: community.funding@nhsbt.nhs.uk

The Community Grants Programme is part of a Government-funded campaign, led by NHS Blood and Transplant, with support from the National BAME Transplant Alliance (NBTA), and support and funding from Anthony Nolan, to address the urgent need for donors from black, Asian and mixed ethnic backgrounds.

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