SANBS Digital Integrated Report

Overview

What The South African National Blood Service is all about

WHO WE ARE

The core of our mandate is to provide patients with sufficient, safe, quality blood products and medical services related to blood transfusion in an equitable, cost-effective manner. We are a non-profit organisation that provides the delivery of safe blood to all South Africans.

We manage the entire blood transfusion value chain.

Collections

Testing

Processing

Distribution to Patients

By using sophisticated processes and equipment, we ensure safety of all donated blood by testing transfusion-transmissible diseases, blood grouping & patient compatibility. We employ 2 565 (FY20: 2 524) people at 185 sites across South Africa (with the exception of the Western Cape where the Western Cape Blood Service operates).

We embrace operational innovation, efficiency and cutting-edge medical science and technology to maintain our leadership position. Over the past 84 years, the SANBS has evolved to become a unified entity that provides a seamless service to its customers.

THE GIFT OF LIFE

Thanks to the dedicated support of our donors, people receive red blood cells, plasma or platelets: the gift of life.

The work we do as the South African National Blood Service (SANBS) is vitally important. Our access to collect blood from businesses, schools and communities was severely curtailed during the continued impact of the pandemic and we focused on channelling our donors to our fixed site Donor Centres that were permitted to operate as essential services, adhering strict social distancing protocols. Mobile donor centres were also successfully utilised.

INNOVATION IS AT THE HEART OF WHAT WE DO

It allows us to continuously renew the organisation and to take advantage of new opportunities.

With the help of technology it is becoming easier to customise the experience of each donor. In addition, innovations such as smart fridges and drone technology will create the ability to transport blood safely and efficiently, especially in rural areas.

QUALITY HEALTHCARE

We are proud of our track record of delivery of quality healthcare to millions of people each year.

As a customer centric organisation, we care about the lives of those in need of blood products – from a new mother at childbirth or the little girl who has been in an accident, to the old man with anaemia or a burn victim in ICU.

EXPANDING OUR DONOR POOL

We are actively working on attracting younger and especially black donors to widen our active blood donor pool.

Through our donor centres across the country, we collect about 3 300 units of blood from South Africans every day. One of our immediate goals is to increase the pool of active blood donors (currently <1% of the total population) through deploying additional mobile donor centres and conducting educational tours at our state of the art facility in Mount Edgecombe for schools and universities to encourage the youth to donate.

WORLD-CLASS PRODUCTS

Our blood transfusion and blood products are world-class.

We invest heavily in research and training to retain our standing as one of the world’s leading blood transfusion and blood products suppliers. We maintain the highest level of standards to ensure that we are measuring and monitoring the most appropriate processes that informs the safety of the blood supply.

OUR STAKEHOLDERS ARE A PRIORITY

Our stakeholders help ensure the sustainability of our organisation which is why we prioritise them in our strategic intent and execution.

We don’t just look inwards. In fact, our reach and support extend across the African continent as a very real demonstration of our stakeholder-driven culture.

FUTURE-PROOF

As an organisation we focus on what matters most: SAVING LIVES.

We are well prepared for the future and the donors, recipients, staff, companies and communities who support our cause have every reason to place their confidence in us.

OUR CAPITALS & NAVIGATING THIS DIGITAL REPORT

We are a non-profit organisation mandated to provide blood transfusion and related services today and in the future. To do this sustainably, we need to add value to our inputs to create outputs and outcomes that matter.
Throughout our integrated report, you can use these icons to join the dots.

Financial Capital

Our pool of funds that is used to support our business and operational activities, including research and development.

Manufactured Capital

The way we are organised and the things that we do, including our infrastructure, our products, and the IT that lets us operate and create value.

Human Capital

Our culture and our people, their development and collective knowledge, skills and expertise, plus the delivery of innovative and life-saving products and services to save people’s lives.

Intellectual Capital

Our brand value, research and development, capacity to innovate, reputation and strategic partnerships.

Social & Relationship Capital

Stakeholder relationships, including the communities in which we operate, because we recognise the critical role that blood banks play in sustaining a healthy society and functioning health system.

Natural Capital

Our impact on the planet through our operations and business activities.

OUR CAPITALS

Our relevance as a non-profit organisation mandated to provide blood transfusion and related services today and, in the future, and our ability to sustain ourselves and create long-term value are interrelated and dependent on the forms of: