1 week Ago
Grassroots groups in Greater Manchester are set to receive a share of £600,000 in government funding. The money is to be used to deliver projects that encourage more people of Black and Asian heritage to become blood and organ donors. The funding is part of the government's commitment to tackle health inequalities and promote blood and organ donation among Black and Asian communities.
The Community Grants Programme, led by NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), is dedicated to funding projects led by community, faith, or belief organisations to inspire greater awareness and support for donation. More donors are needed because of a shortage of donors from Black and Asian backgrounds, and this means patients of these ethnicities can have worse outcomes. Donors and recipients 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. 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 and are likely to wait longer as a result. One of the many organisations receiving funding is the Greater Manchester-based South Asian Heritage Trust (SAHT).
The SAHT aims to raise awareness about organ donation and tackle health inequalities by empowering South Asian communities to make informed choices and increase the number of registered organ donors. The SAHT team has said: "This listening circle really showed us the power of conversation. "We learned so much about the lived experience around organ donation, were able to answer our questions, and began to break down the barriers that have kept many from registering.
"We are excited to continue these conversations throughout the project, and we are especially grateful to those who joined us in sharing their stories, educating, and inspiring us all. "Working with NHSBT allows us to bring much-needed awareness to this life-saving cause." Umar Malik, NHS Blood and Transplant’s community funding manager, said: "We have seen first-hand the abilities of trusted individuals and community groups to prompt conversation, tackle misinformation, educate, and offer reassurance around donation.
"We are really excited to work with these grassroots champions to address inequalities and help save more lives." More information about the Community Grants Programme can be found on the NHSBT website..
