Plans for 2021/22
As with 2020/21, the pandemic means our income remains uncertain and we need to be flexible enough to ensure we can respond to the changing needs of our community.
But there are some things we already know we want to achieve over the next year.
Lead a research collaborative into vaccine efficacy
One of the biggest challenges facing our community is that COVID-19 vaccines are unlikely to work as well for people with blood cancer as for the general population. But we need more research to establish which people with blood cancer are most likely to be protected. So we have started to work with other charities, including Anthony Nolan, Myeloma UK and the British Society for Haematology, to identify the gaps in research that is already under way and to fund the missing pieces of the jigsaw so that everyone with blood cancer gets the answers they need.
Raise more money, and increase the amount we spend on research
Given the impact of COVID-19 on both our funding and our community, our income is likely to take some time to get back to pre-pandemic levels. But unless there is another wave of the virus, we are confident we will be able to raise more money in 2021/22 than we did in 2020/21. If we can achieve this, we will also be able to fund more research next year but, again, it will take some time before we are spending more on research than we did before the pandemic.
Publish a research strategy
We have been working on our research strategy, which will continue to make sure the money we spend on research has the biggest possible impact for people affected by blood cancer, and we published it in June 2021. We want to build on the collaborative approach we are taking to our research into vaccine efficacy and want to involve people with blood cancer in ensuring our research has the biggest possible impact.
Increase the number of people we reach with our health information
We will develop a new publication to support people who are newly diagnosed, and want it to be given to as many as possible of the 40,000 people diagnosed with blood cancer every year. We will also start redeveloping our health information to ensure it continues to meet people’s changing needs, and will carry out a programme of website improvements to increase the number of people we are reaching through it.
Continue to be a voice for people affected by blood cancer
As well as its direct impact on people with blood cancer, the pandemic has had a significant effect on NHS cancer services. So over the next year we will focus on monitoring and influencing UK Governments to ensure people with blood cancer are diagnosed and treated quickly as the NHS recovers from the pandemic, including campaigning for more people to get the chance to take part in clinical trials.
Build on our organisational culture to ensure we are fit for the future
We want to further develop our culture and give our people the tools to help make sure they are equipped for future challenges and changes. We also want to do more to ensure we are seen as an employer of choice in our sector.