OUR CAPITALS
Our Social and Relationship Capital
OUR CAPITALS
Our Social and Relationship Capital
We are a non-profit organisation that provides the delivery of safe blood to the patients we serve. SANBS’ social capital is the foundation upon which our life-saving mission of providing crucial blood products and services to those in need is built. In nurturing trust, and upholding relationships, we remain steadfast in our pursuit to positively impact South African lives.
Our Social Capital – Building Trust and Supporting Sustainable Development
Social capital is essential for facilitating collaboration, mobilising critical resources, raising awareness, and creating a positive societal impact. It underpins our mission to provide reliable blood products and services to patients in need.
At SANBS, the connections and trust we have built with all of our stakeholders, from blood donors to volunteers, partners, and the broader community, are at the heart of everything we do. It is people who make all the difference, so we focus on creating strong, trustworthy relationships, such as with our donors and patients. We treat everyone the same, no matter where they get their healthcare.
We also prioritise the health and engagement of our blood donors. One way we do this is by running a programme that ensures they have enough iron, which is important for their well-being. We also get out into the community to educate and encourage more people to donate blood. We invite students to our facilities hoping to get more young people interested in donating.
Our care extends to those who depend on blood, like new moms, people in accidents, or those in the ICU. We have started using smart fridges for storing blood, an innovative introduction that helps us get blood to places faster, especially where it’s needed most, such as in areas where many mothers are at risk during childbirth.
SANBS is committed to supporting the following sustainable development goals (SDGs) through the execution of our strategic priorities. These SDGs are global goals agreed upon at the United Nations regarding economic, environmental and social targets.
Increased life expectancy, access to health services
SANBS aims to be the cornerstone of healthcare services in South Africa through the gift of life
We are committed to being an integral part of the nation’s health system via our blood donation services, which we as appreciate are a vital contribution to community well-being.
Recognising our essential role in maintaining the health of both the community and the healthcare system, we have established an extensive network to ensure that everyone in the country has access to the blood they need.
This network includes two world-class testing laboratories, 83 blood banks, 72 donation sites, 7 preparations centres, and 25 mobile units for collecting blood donations in various locations across 8 of the 9 provinces of South Africa. See Manufactured Capital.
Donor Education
Donor education sessions are held at schools, mainly during Life Orientation classes, and where this may not be possible, in school assemblies. These sessions focus on the criteria for blood donation, raise HIV awareness, and provide information about blood products, their components, and the conditions they treat. In FY24, the number of donor education sessions, delivered primarily by our donor educators located across the seven zones, increased significantly from 650 to 1 121.
Donor Wellness is a Priority for SANBS
Our mission transcends beyond just collecting blood; we are also dedicated to and raising awareness about various diseases, educating our donors on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. This educational outreach aims to cultivate a trusting relationship with our donors based on our commitment to their well-being and the care we provide.
Donor wellness remains a top priority, reflected in the SANBS Wellness Programme which underscores our ongoing commitment to the health of our donors. This programme includes a tailored digital donor education initiative featuring accessible and relatable content. Additionally, we have recently appointed a vendor to supply a new iron supplement, designed to enhance iron levels while minimising side effects.
For our Collections teams, the programme includes continual refresher training to equip our staff to effectively manage any unexpected events during the donation process. We have also streamlined our adverse event management systems, supported by a Board-approved policy to alleviate financial hardship in rare instances where donors experience adverse effects following blood donation.
Starting a Vegetable Garden
We are proud of the initiative undertaken by the Mpumalanga MidWit mobile team to support a vegetable garden programme at Living Waters Secondary School. This initiative aims to enhance learners' nutritional status and increase their iron intake. In addressing iron deficiency and promoting overall health and wellness among young people, we seek to encourage the consumption of fresh produce and educate the school community about good nutrition.
Our contributions included gardening tools, seeds, educational materials, and hands-on involvement in planting the vegetables. Moving forward, we are committed to providing the necessary support to ensure the sustainability of such initiatives.
Employee Wellness - A Holistic Approach
At SANBS, we prioritise the overall well-being of our employees by embracing a holistic approach that encompasses physical, mental, and financial health. Through our "Better Me" campaign, we monitor chronic health conditions for early detection and intervention. We also promote mental health awareness through educational programmes and topical discussions driven by themes from our Employee Assistance Programme. Additionally, we partner with Alexander Forbes to provide financial wellness programmes, including insights into the 2-pot retirement system, empowering employees to make informed financial decisions for a secure future. See our Human Capital for more details.
Promoting learning opportunities for employees and others to remain relevant in the future
Investing in our people's growth
At SANBS, we prioritise investing in our employees' growth, recognising them as the heartbeat of our organisation and essential to our life-saving mission.
We promote continuous learning through initiatives like the RAD Academy and bursary programmes, ensuring our workforce remains at the forefront of their fields.
We cultivate a collaborative environment that sparks innovation and connects employees' work to our core purpose, empowering them to be both skilled contributors and innovators.
Bursaries for Employee Dependents
43 (FY23:40) SANBS employee dependents were offered bursaries to the value of R1,4m (FY23: R1,3m).
Learning and Development Initiatives
SANBS significantly contributed to developing 16 People with Disabilities (PWD) through an NQF Level 5 learnership and supported 14 interns from Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges. To further assist these learners, SANBS supplemented their stipends by R1,500 each.
Additionally, SANBS introduced a new NQF Level 4 learnership in Business Administration for 16 Clinic Attendants and Mobile Packers, a group with typically limited opportunities for skills development. This initiative, which focuses solely on skills enhancement, is not intended to convert any positions to Donor Attendant roles. The learners were registered with the SETA in June and will begin their 12-month programme in August 2024.
SANBS also initiated the standardisation of registrar training in South Africa, collaborating with Western Cape Blood Services (WCBS) and other stakeholders, including the National Bioproducts of South Africa and Jehovah's Witness committees. The allocation and recording of topics to be covered by subject matter experts are nearing completion, ensuring that SANBS contributes to the education of clinicians and enhances access to high-quality medical services in our communities.
Knowledge Dissemination
SANBS enhances knowledge dissemination through strategic collaborations, CPD-accredited educational events, and innovative solutions, such as the learning experience portal for internal and external healthcare professionals (HCP). The Training, Education, and Advisory Services (TEAS) and Patient Blood Management (PBM) functions play a crucial role in planning and conducting training for external HCP on various CPD-accredited transfusion medicine topics. In the past financial year, the number of HCP trained increased by 4,872, rising from 28,147 to 33,019.
Additionally, the number of training initiatives expanded significantly from 236 to 502, utilising hybrid training methods across various platforms. Importantly, all training is provided free of charge at the point of delivery.
Collaborations with Universities
Formal collaborations with universities have resulted in the inclusion of transfusion medicine in the curriculum of third- year and fifth-year medical students at the University of Limpopo (UL), the University of Free State (UFS), the Nelson Mandela University, (NMU) and the University of Pretoria (UP). Efforts are being made to be included in University of KwaZulu Natal (UKZ).
In July 2023, SANBS in collaboration with the University of the Free State launched a fully online, short-learning programme in Patient Blood Management for doctors and nurses. The second cohorts for doctors and nurses commenced on 22 July 2024.
Haematology and virology registrars at the Universities of Pretoria, KwaZulu Natal, and Witwatersrand are also rotated through SANBS departments to increase their knowledge and understanding of blood and blood products and other additional services offered by SANBS.
SANBS has established several Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with Blood Services in the SADC region. Four MoUs were concluded with UP, Namibia (NAMBTS), Eswatini (ENBTS), and a society called the BloodSA to collaborate on various education and research deliverables. See our Human and Natural Capitals for more information.