Ethnicity and Screening for Sickle Cell / Thalassaemia

Drawing upon the experiences of sickle cell and thalassaemia counsellors, this book shows how learning from best practice for screening could be a model for developing cultural competency across all types of health care provision. It clarifies debates of race and ethnicity for those working in social sciences.

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Screening policies for sickle cell and thalassaemia have only recently been formalized in the UK. This book asks what types of ethnicity information are relevant for health professionals to ask as part of this screening and why. Through extensive use of interview material, the book draws upon the experiences of sickle cell and thalassaemia counsellors who have been at the forefront of understanding in this area. The book: demonstrates how best practice for screening in a multi-ethnic society requires us to better understand the myth of races, the meanings of concepts such as ethnicity and racialization, and the relation of racism to issues of citizenship, immigration, asylum and nationality; shows how learning from best practice for screening could be a model for developing cultural competency across all types of health care provision; clarifies, through the use of the biologically-grounded exemplar of sickle cell and thalassaemia, debates of race and ethnicity for those working in social sciences; and, listens to the voices of experience and validates the hitherto unacknowledged achievements of professional women from minoritized ethnic groups.