Spectra Optia Funding to Deliver More Apheresis Capacity for Patients

Sickle-cell patient Toks Odesanmi is celebrating a life-changing improvement to her care as Colchester becomes one of three new sites to receive advanced transfusion machines thanks to a £9 million funding boost.

The Spectra Optia machines, funded by the NHS MedTech Funding Mandate, will be introduced to East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust and two other hospital trusts this year. The equipment provides automated red cell exchange transfusions — a faster, safer, and more comfortable process than traditional manual setups — to up to 100 additional patients across England annually.

For Toks, who also works with The Red Cell Network as an advocate for the Sickle Cell Society, the machines mean no more arduous trips to London or Cambridge. Previously, the 51-year-old had to travel by public transport despite mobility challenges, including ongoing recovery from hip and ankle surgery and complications with her eyesight. “That kind of travel was exhausting,” she said. “Sometimes I’d end up in crisis afterwards. It disrupted my work and took me away from my family.”

With the new equipment on her doorstep, she can now receive her regular treatment locally — allowing her to continue working and attending her daughter’s school events without worrying about exhausting journeys or losing precious time.

The machines also reduce iron overload and cut down the need for top-up transfusions, improving long-term health outcomes. Thanks to this second wave of funding, NHS Blood and Transplant will support around 200 patients per year across six hospital trusts, with estimated savings of over £12 million annually for the NHS.

“Having the right machines in the right places truly transforms people’s lives,” said an NHSBT spokesperson. “And Toks’ story is just one example of how vital this investment is for sickle-cell patients across the country.”

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