NHS Blood and Transplant: Why Give Blood?

Have you ever considered giving blood?

Blood donation is one of the surest ways you can change someone’s life for the better – or in some cases, even save a life!

Just 1 hour of your time can help save up to 3 lives.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), a special health authority which handles blood donations for England and organ donations for the UK, is urgently requesting YOUR help as they seek to add 135,000 new blood donors to their register this year.

NHSBT are in desperate need of more Black donors. With approximately 13,000 – 15,000 people living with sickle cell anaemia in the UK today, the demand for blood which can be used for patients of Black Caribbean and African patients is sky-high.

Why does your ethnic background matter?

Patients who receive blood from people who share their ethnic background are less likely to experience complications when undergoing blood transfusions. In addition, patients living with sickle cell are more likely to have the Ro blood subtype, which is particularly common in people of Black heritage.

The demand for Ro blood is growing by 10-15% year, but only 2% of regular donors have this subtype – meaning that it can be a struggle to find the best match for sickle-cell patients.

That’s why CAHN is working alongside NHSBT to engage more members of our community and change the trajectory of the lives of thousands of Black people across the UK.

A person suffering from sickle cell anaemia may need several blood transfusions a year in order to manage their condition and keep them alive. NHSBT estimates that a regularly transfused patient will rely on the help of around 100 blood donors a year in order to stay alive.

Could you be one of those 100 selfless people?

Find out more about giving blood today by calling 0300 123 23 23 or visiting blood.co.uk

Source: CAHN, Newsletter Jan 2025