
Brixton is at the heart of national government efforts to improve the treatment people with sickle cell disease – which overwhelmingly affects Black Caribbean and African people.
It is a debilitating, life-limiting condition.
“This is very high priority for the government,” Baroness Gillian Merron, minister for patient safety, told Brixton Blog yesterday (22 January).
She spoke to the Blog at the formal opening of a new blood donation centre in the heart of Brixton.

“The fact we are sitting in this brand-new centre epitomises our commitment and also our drive to provide services with the Black community, for the Black community, and of the Black community,” she said.
The new centre and government policy on sickle cell are “very much a partnership” and were significant because this is just one step towards overcoming the difficulties that people affected by sickle cell disease have had, she said.
A report published three years ago by an all-party committee of MPs had concluded that “Sickle cell patients too often receive sub-standard care, with significant variations in care depending on which staff happen to be on duty or which area of the country a patient is in.
“While care in specialist haemoglobinopathy services is generally felt to be of a good standard, this is far from the case on general wards or when accessing accident & emergency (A&E) departments. Care failings have led to patient deaths over decades and ‘near misses’ are not uncommon,” it said.
Sickle cell sufferers also face a very significant shortfall in the availability of donated blood for the frequent transfusions that keep many alive and all of them well.

Donors from Black Caribbean and Black African heritage are significantly more likely to have the specific “Ro” blood type used to treat the condition.
More than half of Black heritage blood donors (56%) have the Ro blood type, compared with just 2.4% of donors from other ethnicities.
NHS Blood and Transplant department data shows that in 2023/24 210 donations of blood were needed each day to treat patients with sickle cell disease across England, with over three quarters of this blood – 160 units – needed by hospitals in London.
Baroness Merron said the NHS needs 12,000 more “Ro” donors. “We need an extra 250 blood donations a day so that we can get actually provide for those with sickle cell,” she said.
“So I made a call to action today. I ask people and I ask your readers: ‘please come and give blood,’ she told the Blog.

She said that the new blood donation centre in the Bon Marché building on Brixton Road – now the third largest in the country – is “a fantastic facility. It’s so welcoming, so professional, and enjoyable.
“But, also, please tell your neighbours, your friends, your family.
“And, if you’re not sure, just come in.” The new centre is designed to give confidence and to be welcoming.
“But that isn’t all of it,” she said. For the new government, overcoming inequalities of care and access is also a very high priority.
“When we think about NHS services and social care services, we are working with local communities all across the country to get it right with them and for them – not making assumptions.
“That includes how we communicate. I was so excited when I walked up the escalators at Brixton Tube station to see all of those posters promoting the centre.
“I hope that will give confidence to somebody coming out the Tube, as I did, to walk in less than two minutes to this beautiful centre to get the warmest of welcomes and reassurances.”
Baroness Merron paid tribute to the staff of the centre, several of whom had spoken of their work at the opening ceremony which was conducted by Professor Dame Elizabeth Anionwu OM, the country’s first sickle cell nurse counsellor. She said it had been a real honour to meet Dame Elizbeth.
“When I became the country’s first specialist sickle cell nurse counsellor in the 1970s,” Dame Elizbeth told the opening ceremony, “the disease was not very well known or understood.



“But what we did know was that the generosity of blood donors, especially from the Black community, was key to alleviating the pain of patients.
“Today, nearly half a century later, and despite major advances in the treatment of sickle cell, we still rely on the generosity of blood donors from the Black community to make a lifesaving difference.
“That’s why the opening of the Brixton donor centre, in the heart of the community and shaped by the community, is such an important achievement.
“I urge all people across South London to make an appointment at this unique new centre to give blood and save lives.”

Dr Jo Farrar CB OBE, NHS Blood and Transplant Chief executive, said she and her colleagues had worked in partnership with community groups, Brixton-based blood donors, and local businesses to deliver “a centre and experience that’s rooted in Brixton – from artwork created by local artists, to inspirational stories from Black Brixtonians who have saved lives through their donations.”
“The Brixton donor centre is open for business and our skilled staff are on-hand to guide South Londoners through the donation process and welcome them to the community of life-savers.”
Centre manager Rexford Osei-Bonsu said: “We’re asking Brixton residents to make an appointment at the new donor centre to give blood and help save lives.
“We have capacity to manage more than 1,000 appointments a week, so I urge all potential donors to sign-up today.
“The entire donation process takes just an hour. Donors complete a health questionnaire as part of the screening process, before working with our fantastic health team to make their life-saving donation, which takes around 10 minutes.
“Donors can only give blood around four times a year, so recruiting more donors is vital to securing London’s blood stocks.
“Each donation can save up to three lives, so every Brixton resident who comes forward is making a vital contribution to the lives, health and wellbeing of Londoners.
NHS Blood and Transport said the centre had been designed specifically to welcome the local community to give blood by creating a friendly, comfortable community environment.
This includes artwork by local creatives, a “hero wall” showcasing inspirational stories of local Black blood donors and residents, whose lives have been saved by donations, and a dedicated community space.
Consultation rooms are named after local landmarks, including Windrush Square, Brockwell Park and Electric Avenue. Donors are encouraged to share messages on a feedback wall to inspire others.
Brixton was identified as the ideal location for the new centre because of its young and diverse population and renowned community spirit of giving.
With the largest Black heritage population in England and Wales, the neighbourhood has the potential to significantly boost the numbers of Black heritage donors, NHS Blood and Transplant said.
You can register now and book an appointment at blood.co.uk on the GiveBloodNHS app or call 0300 123 23 23