NBTA  Newsletter

Welcome to this the first NBTA newsletter. 

Reports and Research

Ending the Silent Crisis was commissioned by Eleanor Smith MP, looks into blood, stem cell and organ donation within Black, Asian, Mixed Race and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in England.

It combines research into the context and current thought around BAME donation with key findings from the public consultation. Over several years the number of eligible donors has fallen while BAME patients in need of blood, stem cells and organs has risen. The situation has reached a point of extremity that some have called a ‘silent crisis’.

The report makes some very key recommendations for improving rates of donation. It calls for 
• An overarching strategy that sets out collaboration between local, national and international organisations is essential.
• Good practice models must be funded and supported in more areas with communities in need.
• Creating a culture of normality around donation is crucial to raising donor rates. Engagement through national and local media has a vital role to play in achieving this.
• Investing in young members of BAME communities, for example by integrating donation within formal education, will make a huge difference to future donation rates.
• A dedicated review into faith and organ donation within BAME communities would deliver invaluable insights and is highly recommended.
• Further research is recommended into the opinions of young members of BAME communities and the specific experiences that individuals encounter when they become donors.

You can download the report here 

MP’s Toolkit

Launching a new toolkit for MPs in Westminster on 24th October, Jackie Doyle Price, Minister for Mental Health, Inequalities and Suicide Prevention set out the stark disparity in organ donation rates between black and Asian people and their white counterparts.

The toolkit, Organ Donation: Saving Lives in Black and Asian Communities, will provide MPs with information about donation rates in their own constituency, myth busters, FAQs and further support to help them to encourage organ donation in their own communities – particularly among those from black and Asian groups.

Organ donation saves lives and is especially important for people within those communities where donation rates have been historically low. People from black and minority ethnic groups represent 11% of the UK population, but make up over a third of the kidney transplant waiting list and wait on average six months longer than white patients for a kidney transplant.

For a link to rates of donation in your constituency, click here https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/share-statistics/

Help Raise the Profile of NBTA and raise money for your organisation

NBTA is proposing to bringing together a team to undertake a 50km walk as part of the Thames Pathway Challenge (7th and 8th September)

Now an annual event with hundreds of charities taking part, the Thames Pathway Challenge asks charity supporters to walk £25, 50 or 100km in aid of a charity of their choice.

we would like to get a team from NBTA to go, and help raise funds for the work as well as raise the profile of everyone’s collective efforts around blood donation. You can read more here  https://www.thamespathchallenge.com/

If you are interested in being part of an NBTA team of walkers then please contact Rita Chadha at nbtauk@gmail.com 

NHSBTA Digital Resources

NHSBTA has some very useful digital resources for use on electronic media and social media for organisations wishing to promote transplant donations,

You can review the resources available here  

NBTA is also eager to hear about your views on these resources, how are they to use, are they culturally appropriate for the communities you work with, what more could we do….

Save the Date – 16th October

As the Government prepares for its new Donation Strategy 2020, we are eager that NBTA members should have an opportunity to help shape the strategy and also start thinking what this means for their own work. To help with this we have arranged a strategy day for the 16th October to bring together multiple stakeholders to discuss issues relevant to BAME and mixed race communities

To find out more or to register your interest email nbtauk@gmail.com