By Samuel Draper
February 11 2020, 21.01
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NHS Blood and Transplant’s (NHSBT) ‘What’s Your Blood Type’ sessions this month want to recruit new donors with high priority blood types in Tooting.
First time donors interested in participating can go to St George’s Hospital on Thursday 13 and 20 February between 10.30am and 2.30pm.
A quick finger prick test by staff reveals the results within a few minutes.
Lynne Moulder, senior campaign lead – marketing at NHSBT, which provides England’s blood donation service, said: “People are always curious to find out their blood type and why it is special. There is a one in three chance your close relatives will share your blood type.
“Our ‘What’s Your Blood Type’ events are a great way to find this out and we’d love people to come along, register as a donor and learn how their blood type is special for saving lives – and you might meet your perfect match.”
Tooting’s permanent Donor Centre at 75 Cranmer Terrace is one of three in the capital, and one of 23 across the country.
Mobile teams can also collect blood at community venues, but permanent centres have more free appointments to accommodate first time donors.
NHSBT needs 1.4 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England.
Whilst clinical improvements have reduced the overall demand for blood, 135,000 new donors are needed annually to replace those who stop donating.
Nationally, only 22% of active blood donors have a priority blood type – O Negative, A Negative, B Negative or AB Negative.
Only 8% of the population is O Negative, but it makes up 14% of the blood used by hospitals because in emergency situations it can be given to almost everyone.
A Negative contains platelets – tiny cells that help stop bleeding, and vital for cancer patients.
Only 2% of donors are B Negative, whilst only 1% of blood donors are AB Negative, the rarest blood type.
There is a need for more black donors, with Ro blood ten times more common in black people than white people. Ro blood is often used to save people with sickle cell disease, a rare blood disorder. Only 2% of donors have Ro type blood.
You can make, view and change appointments by calling 0300 123 23 23, online at www.blood.co.uk or using the GiveBlood app.
