What a year we're having. The global pandemic has rocked lives globally. Accross the UK, we have experienced devastating loss, financial insecurity, and all this is having a real impact on our mental health too.

The Aplastic Anaemia Trust have been working hard to find ways to support AA patients and their families during this unprecedented time. Our tiny team of staff, trustees, and heroic volunteers speak regularly about what the needs of patients are right now, and how these needs are evolving as lockdown eases for most of the country, and we all anxiously watch the infection rate. We have decided that now is the time to put additional professional support in place, to support the work of our volunteers and protect our community. 

We have been proud to work quickly to put extra help in place for patients during lockdown. Our volunteers around the country have done an incredible job, running AAT Connect we've worked with Maggie's to deliver expert weekly support with Wellbeing Wednesdays and our informal Q & A webinars are enabling patients to put questions directly to experts in their disease. We deliver expert online information and now charity facemasks (available for free for AA patients). Our new Online Support Manager will help patients access this existing support, and help us proactively learn what additional help we can offer, as the situation develops.

Our online community on Facebook has long been a vital source of support for patients. For many, it is their first opportunity to speak to another person with aplastic anaemia. At this time, with government health information and new science changing our understanding of Covid-19 released every day - patients can be left unsure of the latest information. There is a heightened risk of health misinformation spreading through social media at this time, which could pose a real risk to the health and wellbeing of our community. Always, but particularly at this difficult time, we need to be able to respond to patients' concerns quickly and calmly - on the phone, by email, or on social media. Our new Online Support Manager will make sure this happens by being there for patients, and by supporting our wonderful volunteers, who have gone above and beyond over the past few months, and deserve dedicated support. 

You can read more about this new part-time role and apply here. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to comment here - or drop us an email at [email protected].