The Manchester Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Centre (MSCTC), a landmark healthcare institution on Denmark Road, officially opened in 1984, becoming the UK’s first NHS community-based Sickle Cell Centre. It remains an important specialist service for people living with sickle cell disease and thalassaemia.
The centre provides screening, diagnosis, genetic counselling, health assessments, self-care support, education, advocacy and outreach. It supports patients, families and carers from pregnancy through adulthood, while also training nurses, midwives and other healthcare professionals to improve understanding of haemoglobin disorders.
Its development reflected the needs of Manchester’s growing African and Caribbean communities after the Second World War. As more people from regions where sickle cell disease is more common settled in the city, activists and healthcare workers pushed for better, culturally informed care. The centre’s creation marked an important shift in recognising sickle cell as a significant public-health issue rather than a rare condition.
The available sources do not identify a single founder. However, Miss Jean McDonald, a Manchester nurse and health visitor who lived with sickle cell disease, is highlighted as an important figure associated with the centre’s history. Her legacy is recognised through the Miss Jean McDonald Suite and through funding for community engagement and research.
The Centre’s first coordinator was nurse Verna Angus and she along with noted people from the community helped to raise funds in the early years and included people such as Clive Lloyd (celebrated West Indian cricketer), Mike Shaft (local DJ and radio presenter), Waveney Lloyd (wife of Clive Lloyd), Lynette Lithgow (a local news presenter), and Linford Sweeney (community development activist).
Overall, the centre is presented as both a vital healthcare service and a significant part of Manchester’s Black history. It represents the intersection of healthcare, community activism and racial equality, responding to unmet needs within African and Caribbean communities and helping to tackle health inequalities through specialist, community-based support.
