Sickle Cell Awareness Month and blood donations

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That this House marks Sickle Cell Awareness Month and draws attention to the continuing shortfall of blood donors from Black and ethnic minority communities and its direct impact on patients living with sickle cell disorder, thalassaemia and other rare blood conditions; notes that sickle cell disease is the fastest-growing genetic blood disorder in the UK and disproportionately affects people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage, many of whom rely on blood closely matched to their own, most reliably obtained from donors of the same ethnic background, particularly the Ro blood subtype, present in around 55% of Black heritage donors compared with roughly 2% of donors from other backgrounds; is concerned that NHS Blood and Transplant can meet only around half of hospital demand for Ro-matched blood, and that Black African, Black Caribbean and mixed-race donors together accounted for only around 2% of completed donations in the twelve months to April 2026, despite Black ethnic groups making up 4% of the population of England and Wales; further notes the disproportionately high deferral rates experienced by Black African donors; welcomes the reduction in such deferrals achieved through venous HemoCue testing, while noting that a stark gap remains; and calls on the Government to mark Sickle Cell Awareness Month by reviewing donor deferral criteria, setting out a national strategy and target for recruiting new Black and ethnic minority donors, and committing NHS Blood and Transplant to the annual publication of donation and deferral data by ethnicity and gender.