Performance against strategy

To be the cornerstone of healthcare services in South Africa, through the gift of life

The seven SANBS Strategic objectives are clearly defined and designed to achieve our vision.

Performance against our strategic priorities is measured through defined KPIs incorporated into an overall “iHEALTh” balanced scorecard which cascades down to all levels within the organisation.

In reflecting on the achievements over the past year, amid the ongoing challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is through the resilience of all SANBS staff that we continued to deliver an outstanding set of results across all metrics on our scorecard. We acknowledge and salute both our front line staff who risked their safety and that of their families on a daily basis to ensure our blood donor centres were fully operational, as well as our staff working remotely who have demonstrated agility to apply integrated thinking, increase cross collaboration and prioritise to maintain momentum with our strategic and operational projects in support of our iHEALTh strategy.

Introduction of the work from home policy provided an opportunity to test our ability to manage remotely, particularly with teams that always worked together in the same workspace. The ICT division, in a very short space of time, made the requisite tools available for staff to work from home without compromising on productivity or quality of work. This was especially the case for the Tele-recruiters, based in all 7 zones.

Infection Prevention and Control measures were successfully implemented with appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) provided for staff, social distancing was maintained by moving donor beds 2-metres apart and staff and donor screening processes were introduced, thus providing comfort to donors and staff with safety concerns. These changes were publicised via posters on display at donation sites, and in the local media, to make donors and the public (potential donors) aware of the measures implemented for their protection and safety.

Reflecting on our performance against the 2020/2021 Scorecard and how we added value

INNOVATION

Aspiration

Improve and expand current products and services through innovation

Strategic Priorities
  • Unlock other revenue streams-enhance services and innovative product mix
  • Lead the development, commercialisation and delivery of cellular therapies
FY2021 Highlights

SANBS staff successfully secured 3 new grants in support of the Covid-19 research performed and played a leading role in the country’s Covid-19 convalescent plasma clinical trial. A number of our staff contributed to several international Covid-19 working parties, co-authoring multiple publications on this topic. Most notably, two staff members co-authored a scientific manuscript with collaborators from NICD which was cited more than 150 times, including by such renowned researchers as Dr Anthony Fauci, who heads up the US fight against Covid-19.

Our vision is that by 2025, patients and donors will be typed genotypically in real time. SLS prides itself, to collaborate in the International Blood Transfusion Genomics Consortium (www.bgc.io) with the aim to expand cutting-edge genomics for more accurate blood typing with the ultimate goal to improve the safety and efficacy of blood transfusion for the millions of patients.

This will be achieved by working collaboratively between 10 countries across 4 continents with medical experts in the treatment of blood cell disorders, transfusion, computer science, population statistics and genomics. The main aim of the Consortium, is to design and validate for clinical use an affordable single DNA-based blood typing test to improve the match between donors of blood and the patients who receive a blood transfusion.

Contributing to long-term sustainable value
Related material matters
  • Meeting blood demand
  • Future changing world
    • remarkable research and publications
    • new donor vehicles
    • smart fridges
    • Mount Edgecombe building
  • Covid-19
Creating value for stakeholders Mission Metrics
Expansion of our product range to reduce cost and improve health of our community Coverage & Cost
Increased ability to develop blood products and demonstrate SANBS’ capabilities Reliability, Quality & Coverage
Taking new products from bench to bedsides Coverage
Improved coverage for blood delivery and increase ability to deliver emergency blood Coverage
Increasing operational efficiencies and stakeholder’s collaboration capabililties Reliability & Cost
Increase availability of blood Reliability
Increased blood collection ability and donor experience Quality & Coverage

KEY MEASURED INITIATIVES

Target achieved/exceeded
new initiative on track against current plan (no concerns) Target achieved/exceeded Improvement YOY No concerns yet Below target
Alternative revenue
Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
R63m
  • R67m
  • R80.4m
  • R64.4m
  • New revenue streams
  • R63m
  • Covid-19 stunted growth but strong recovery is likely once the pandemic abates
#Novel products: Leadership, strategy – Balancing current need and demand with future needs
Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
640 patients
  • 592
  • 402
  • Patients treated with novel therapies materially affected by COVID hospitalisation. It was dangerous for procedures such as stem cell transplants and plasma exchanges to be performed on patients with already compromised immune systems. The team was able to produce the first batches of research-grade human platelet lysate from expired platelet products
  • Platelets lysate
  • 640 patients
  • Renovation of the space, that will host the CellTAN laboratories. Different types of clinically relevant stem cells will be produced and stored in this facility. The field of cellular therapies is expanding exponentially, but the production of these novel products require highly specialised laboratory infrastructure and quality procedures. In response, SANBS has embarked on a multi-year project to develop such a laboratory which will conform to international guidelines and requirements as well as be GMP and JACIE accredited
  • Production of HPL is being scaled up with keen interest in the product expressed by several academic institutions. Research ethics approval received for a mesenchymal stromal cell isolation and production study starting in 2021/2022. Research grade HPL is suitable for use in academic and research institutions. Market research conducted by African Response; a list of potential users compiled to be contacted when upscaled production of HPL is completed
#Translational Research Office
Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
10
  • 10
  • 19
  • R11m external research funding secured
  • Capacity building over the years enabled SANBS to meaningfully contribute to the national and international research efforts aimed at better understanding and managing Covid-19
  • SANBS collaborated with the Western Cape Blood Service and the DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis and performed a sero-surveillance study where 17000 blood donors were tested to estimate the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-COV-2 indicating past exposure to the virus
  • Increase the number of publications by SANBS staff in peer review journals by 10
  • Expand multiple national and international collaborations established during Covid, increase SANBS profile in various ISBT and AABB committees and sub-committees
RAD Academy
Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
Successful launch
  • Strategy approved by the Board
  • Upgraded digital learning platform with mobile interface, blood transfusion science included in tertiary curriculum, established partnerships with medical schools at Limpopo, WITS and UFS
  • There has been tremendous strides on the learning platform for both internal staff and external health care workers
  • Senior Leadership Immersive programme launched to help build leadership bandwidth and to strengthen the core capabilities of Senior Leadership teams. Consists of world class simulations, designed to stretch and enable our leaders to respond differently to achieve our strategic objectives. The New Managers, Management Advancement and Executive Development Programmes, will be launched in partnership with Wits University and the University of Free State
  • 2021/2022 will consolidate all work done to date, ensuring all systems are bedded down and rolled out to full functionality. We plan to reach out to our neighboring countries to form regional collaborations aimed at knowledge sharing, business continuity support and general development. In support of the World Health Organisation workplan to accelerate progress towards universal access to safe blood products in the African region, SANBS has formalised a project to establish working relationships/partnerships and knowledge sharing with SADEC /SSA Blood transfusion services/societies
Drone Project
Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
Project plan
  • 80% complete
      • 4 drones secured. The application for licensing and way forward with the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) is progressing. Approval has been obtained for Dangerous Goods and the operations manual is being reviewed by the CAA
    • Demonstrate operational procedures to the CAA. Once the license has been approved, operations will begin between Sebokeng and Kopanong and a request for approval in KZN
    Pinetown Relocation - Mount Edgecombe Construction Project
    Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
    Project plan
    • 100% complete
    • Successful relocation of the Pinetown Head Office to Mount Edgecombe
    • State of art facility open for public tours to educate people about the journey of blood – i.e., what happens to the unit of blood after it has been donated
    • Educational tours for schools and universities to encourage the youth to donate
    • Implementation of automated systems to link pre analytics, analytics and post analytics using track systems, alleviating human interventions of handling samples
    BECS Implementation
    Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
    Project plan
    • 100% complete
    • Despite challenging conditions presented by the pandemic; the project team successfully delivered most of the planned milestones
    • There were delays in turnaround times from the implementation partner -could be attributed to remote work arrangements. The team is collaboratively working on a recovery plan
    • Key milestones is delivery of a fully configured system for the team to test and validate. Further milestones to reach are:
      • Change Impact Assessments (To-Be processes)
      • “Train the Trainer” training
      • Documentation of Standard Operating Procedures
      • Continue Change Management Activities within the zones
      • Develop and install interface configuration
      • Finalise system configuration
      • Conduct and finalise the Tissue, Cord and Stem Cells (TCS) gap analysis
    SARS-CoV-2 sero prevalence study
    Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
    • New project
    		Not measured Project Plan
    • During 2020 *SANBS collaborated with the Western Cape Blood Service and DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence in Epidemiological Modelling and Analysis and performed a sero-surveillance study where 17 000 blood donors were tested to estimate the prevalence of antibodies to SARS-COV-2 indicating past exposure to the virus. *Project was rated amber as the objective was to conduct three sub studies, however due to SAHPRA regulations, reagents could not be obtained
    • Test all donors that donate blood in a week from the Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. Thereafter testing will take place quarterly to determine the levels of antibodies to Covid-19 in the population and establish whether herd immunity has been reached. We plan to differentiate antibodies developed from vaccination and true exposure
    Smart fridges
    Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
    Project plan
    • 75% complete
    • First Smart fridge received and named FIFI (First Igazi Fridge Imitated). Hospital personnel will be able to access crossmatch blood that will be labelled for a specific patient. The major advantage is that there will be no need to transport the blood from the Blood Bank to the hospital, reducing transport time and cost by 50%
    • Plans are underway to interface, validate and test FIFI at a Blood Bank and hospital. Thereafter, roll out to other hospitals, primarily in rural areas will take place
    • Validation due to start in 2nd quarter of 2021; implementation at 1st hospital planned for end FY2021/2022
    Mobile vehicles
    Target IR 2019 IR 2020 Progress April 2020 to March 2021 Outlook for the year ahead 2021/2022 Target
    Completion of first phase
    • 6-bed mobile donor centre successfully used
    • Total Collections: 2878
    • Number of Days utilised/Blood Drives: 148
    • Average per blood drive: 38.63 units collected
    • New VW Crafter 3-bed configuration designed. Procurement of vehicles completed for launch and use in 2021/2022
    • Next step - design and procure a 4-bed mobile donor centre then evaluation of 3, 4 & 6 bed options to determine optimal fleet configuration

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