Telephone Help Line

The Sickle Cell Society launches its first 24 hour National Telephone Helpline: 0800 001 5660

The free national telephone helpline service, believed to be the first of its kind for any black led charity in the UK will be supported by an interactive web presence which will enable families and individuals affected by sickle cell disorders to access information resources and support 24 hours a day.

The service has been funded through a ground breaking new partnership between the Sickle Cell Society and You Telecomms who are rapidly becoming a major player in the telecommunications market in the UK.

The service will eventually be managed by a trained sickle cell specialist information officer, supported by a team of structured volunteers, all of whom have experience of sickle cell in their lives. The service will be supported by the Society’s team of medical advisers all of whom are experts in the field of haemoglobinopathies.

The new service is free to callers (on 0800 001 5660) and will enable patients with sickle cell disorders and their families to self access the information they require to support them in the management of their condition.

The service is available to everyone but will be specifically targeted at families with newly diagnosed infants who have been identified by the new NHS sickle cell and thalassaemia screening programme, at young people and students living away from home for the first time and lone parents for whom 24 hour access to advice and support will help to reduce isolation and fear.

Announcing the launch of this landmark new service at the Silver Jubilee AGM, last July, Dr Asa’ah Nkohkwo, Director of the Sickle Cell Society, who has himself lost a child to the disorder, said, “This is a most exciting new venture for the Sickle Cell Society which will help to transform the lives of the thousands of people in the UK who are living with this most terrible disorder.
I am particularly pleased that we are able to launch this important aspect of our new national care programme as we gather here today to celebrate 25 successful years of the Sickle Cell Society. We have achieved a great deal for the black community in the UK since we started work but there is much left to do and we are more than ready for the challenge”.

Serving the community since 1979