Founded in 1990 by Janet Furnau MBE, the charity provides information and advice to people affected by genetic haemochromatosis. Untreated, the condition can lead to iron overload, where the body is unable to process excess iron. Excess iron is extremely toxic. Genetic haemochromatosis can cause liver disease, cancer, heart disease, chronic fatigue, diabetes, severe joint pain, sexual health issues and neurological issues.
Haemochromatosis UK provides telephone and email helplines, staffed by trained volunteers, to provide advice and reassurance to people when they are at their most vulnerable and afraid.
The charity runs a successful clinician education programme, to help our hard-working NHS with training in best practice care – and how to diagnose the condition promptly. Early diagnosis saves lives, but the initial symptoms can be vague and hard to spot.
Thanks to the Shears Foundation, Haemochromatosis UK has developed award-winning education resources, to help healthcare practitioners deliver top-notch care to people affected. These training materials are accredited by the Royal College of GPs and Royal College of Nursing. They have won national awards including the National Patient Safety Learning Award and AbbVie Better Health Award. In Spring 2021, Haemochromatosis UK’s team secured the prestigious Nurse of the Year Award, the first time this has been presented to a voluntary sector organisation.
