As most of you will know, the Sickle Cell Peer Mentoring Programme has been successful in terms of its engagement with children young people and parents, clinicians, commissioners, including the demand and uptake not just from City and Hackney but from most boroughs across London.

We were also fortunate to have had the opportunity for the programme to be published in the British Journal of Haematology in Spring of 2019 outlining the outcomes of the model on children and young people. Our mentors were at the British Society of Haematology Conference in Glasgow in April 2019 to present their work.

We are pleased to announce that the Sickle Cell Society are currently in early conversations with all of the East London Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across the 7 boroughs about the potential expansion of the City and Hackney Sickle Cell Peer Mentoring Programme which has successfully piloted over the last 2 years.

Whilst these conversations are taking place, we intend to pause referrals into the programme to manage demand and capacity. The break will commence from 30^th June 2019. This means the mentors will take a short break from mentoring young people to ensure that the wider expansion to all of East London is successful. We hope the programme will resume hopefully in the winter or early next year, 2020 and will be re-launched. We will keep you informed of the progress of the programme expansion.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact the Sickle Cell Society on info@sicklecellsociety.org