Funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, The Pass it on Project will engage with 1,250 families directly over five years.

Working with an individual family members, we will encourage them to take the lead in passing on life saving and health prevention information and access to support. We will work across generations and communities in England to help families take responsibility for understanding their health risk; the implications for their family and how to talk with other relatives. 

This project includes the following programme areas: 

1. Families with Haemochromatosis - Pass in On Programme: developing a resource that is led and designed by families that can be used to inform others. This is likely to include the development of a short video and resource pack. There will be virtual sessions for family members to help them learn how to talk to other family members and become family champions.
2. Family Diagnosis Support:This project area will help newly diagnosed people to ensure their wider family receives information on GH and can access a genetic test. We will also work with others who have been diagnosed but whose families have not been supported. Our starting point will be advising families on how to access a test through the NHS. Not everyone related to someone with GH can currently get a genetic test through the NHS however. This aspect of the project will inform families of their rights to testing and alternatives to sourcing a test. 
3. Family Genetic Counselling: Providing genetic counselling to the whole family; in a pioneering approach; which aims to brings families together to understand the inheritance probability and nature of the condition. We will also work to inform the family's GP Practice and specialist about GH. 
4. Family Public Awareness: a campaign to reach other families currently undiagnosed showing this condition is typically not suffered alone in any family. 
5. Family Blood Drive: To encourage treatment through donated blood; the project will work with NHSBTS to increase donors and donated blood which in turn benefits the whole of the NHS. 

We are very thankful for the support of The National Lottery Community Fund in England which fully funds the Pass it On Project.