3 in 4 people who registered to give blood are yet to donate

3 in 4 people who registered to give blood are yet to donate. A staggering statistic. But what can you do about it?



Well, if you're one of those people who signed up to give blood last year but didn't get round to it: you could make this the year you help save lives.

Why is giving blood so important?

It’s simple, your blood could save lives. A single donation can save or improve up to three lives. So, if you've signed up but haven't yet made your first donation, what's stopping you?

Whether you can book an immediate appointment or need to wait a few months, every donation counts. Giving blood is quick, easy, and it always feels good to help others. 


The NHS needs new blood donors from all backgrounds to ensure the right blood is available for the patients who need it.



Is giving blood good for your health?

If helping people alone isn’t enough motivation, there is also some research that shows several health benefits to regularly donating blood, such as:


• Regular donations may help your blood flow and also could result in less arterial blockages.
• Donating blood could also help prevent heart disease and potential heart problems.
• Regularly donating blood helps in keeping a check on the body's iron stores, thereby potentially reducing the risk of heart attack.
  
  

Things need to change

In 2022, an unprecedented 325,000 registered with Give Blood, which is amazing. But according to the NHS only around 91,000 have actually rolled up their sleeves to donate so far.

If you're wondering about how to find an appointment, don’t worry! Permanent donor centres in towns and cities generally have greater availability and longer opening hours than mobile sessions held in community venues.

Do you have this critical blood type?

People with an O negative blood type are needed.

This type of blood is the universal blood type which can be given to any patient in an emergency or where their blood type isn’t known.



How do you find out what blood type you have?

If you don’t know what blood type you have, one way you can find out is by donating blood! 

You can even test your blood type at home!

The NHS has launched the second phase of its first-ever home blood type testing campaign to identify individuals with the critical O negative blood. If you have the O negative blood type, you could be bumped up to priority appointments.



The numbers don’t lie

Blood is desperately needed. Here’s some insight from the NHS:

• To meet demand, the NHS needs nearly 400 new donors a day
• Plus, around 135,000 new donors a year to replace those who can no longer donate
• 40,000 more Black donors to meet the ever growing demand for better-matched blood
• 30,000 new donors with priority blood types such as O negative every year

How often can you donate blood?

It’s slightly different, depending on your gender.

Men can give blood every 12 weeks and women can give blood every 16 weeks. This is because men generally have higher iron levels than women.

However, if you have genetic hemochromatosis, you may be able to donate as often as every six weeks.

Where can you donate blood?

If you're wondering about how to find an appointment, don’t worry!

The NHS now has 25 fixed blood centres across the UK. Plus, permanent donor centres generally have greater availability and longer opening hours than mobile sessions held in community venues.

All you need to do is register now online to book an appointment on the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.