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Marking World Sickle Cell Awareness Day (19 June), we are celebrating a major milestone in improving access to care for people with sickle cell disease. The government has announced a £9 million investment to expand apheresis services across England, enabling faster, more accessible treatment for patients. Sickle cell is a debilitating condition causing painful crises, infections, and reducing life expectancy, profoundly impacting the lives of those affected.

Commissioned by NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative as part of the MedTech Funding Mandate policy, we have led this national programme on behalf of the Health Innovation Network. The MedTech Funding Mandate policy is designed to accelerate the adoption of selected cost-saving medical technologies, diagnostics, and digital products recommended by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).

Since the programme’s inception, we have been working with local systems across England to deliver new automated blood exchange devices where they are most needed, enhancing patient care and reducing the distances they need to travel to receive treatment.

The announcement of a further £9m investment backed by NHS England marks another milestone. This new funding will support wider access to specialist treatments, improve the availability of out-of-hours care and grow the specialist workforce needed to manage this advanced technology.

In England, there are around 17,000 people living with sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder, with 250 new cases a year. It is generally more common in people of Black African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern and South Asian heritage.

Health and Social Care Secretary, Wes Streeting, said:

“People living with rare conditions like sickle cell disease face immense everyday challenges, and can sometimes struggle to get the specialised care they need.

To make our health service fit for the future, we have to harness the power of new technologies, and these machines provide a shining example of how our is starting to make huge advancements in digital healthcare.

Through our Plan for Change, this government will be the one that removes the barriers to getting the latest and best tech to our NHS frontline, so patients can access the best care available, closer to home.”

Richard Stubbs, CEO of Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber and Chair of the Health Innovation Network, said:

“Sickle cell disease disproportionately impacts people from West African and Afro-Caribbean communities, many of whom live in the most socio-economically deprived areas. These patients are at higher risk of hospital re-admissions and of dying in a hospital, making timely and accessible care even more vital.

“We have led this programme on behalf of the Health Innovation Network. It is a powerful example of how cross-sector collaboration can accelerate the uptake of life-changing innovations and reduce health inequalities.

“This new funding announced today will enable the technology to be used on a longer-term basis, supporting frontline staff and ensuring sickle cell patients receive more regular care closer to where they live, as well as continuing our focus on tackling healthcare inequalities. Sickle cell disease can be viewed as a health inequality, often due to geographical variation in access to care. This funding will help to ensure that all sickle cell patients receive the care and treatment that they require.

“We’re proud to work with our NHS partners to support the spread of proven medical technologies, whether devices, diagnostics, or digital products, to improve care outcomes and patient experience.”

The funding will ensure that Spectra Optia devices, which perform automated cell exchanges, are more widely available to patients with this condition. The treatment process involves removing a patient’s sickled red blood cells and replaces them with healthy donor cells. Automated blood cell exchange offers more effective treatment, reduces the need for follow-up appointments, and improves the overall patient experience. This technology has the potential to save the NHS up to £12.9 million annually thanks to a reduction in time spent in hospital for patients and the reduced need for other treatments.

The programme is the result of close collaboration between Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, NHS England Specialised Commissioning, NHS Blood and Transplant, Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies, and the NHS Accelerated Access Collaborative.

Hear from Njaimeh and Solome about how automated blood cell exchange has transformed their life:

Read the full Government announcement