Nearly 250,000 potential donors yet to give blood

Multiple different blood types are sorted at the huge centre in Filton, on the outskirts of Bristol

Nearly a quarter of a million people who signed up to be a blood donor in 2022 are yet to make a donation.

Exclusive figures given to BBC 5Live from NHS Blood and Transplant show only about 91,000 people out of 325,000 who registered have had an appointment.

The NHS said existing donors were prioritised in 2022 due to low blood stocks, meaning fewer appointments for first time donors.

I've been speaking to people at the UK's largest blood processing centre near Bristol about why it is so important for people to book their appointments now.

Phil Brown, 56, received "multiple" blood transfusions to treat his leukaemia and has worked at the NHS Blood and Transplant Centre for 35 years.

"Twenty years ago I had leukaemia, and I suppose leukaemia and bone marrow cancer, and I received numerous red cell and platelet transfusions during my treatment," he said.

Phil Brown has worked at the Filton processing centre for 35 years

"It's one of the strong motivating factors for me [to work at the centre], making sure all the products are processed correctly and that they're safe and therapeutically effective. It's very important."

Mark Chambers, assistant director at the Filton facility, said: "The situation is challenging in the sense of trying to get more donors.

"We had a challenge in October when we had an amber alert when our blood stocks dropped to only two days [worth].

"We're now at about six-and-a-half days but we know we have a lot of donors who have registered to try and get through the door."

Mark Chambers said it was important people who had signed up to donate could be "brought through the door"

He said the two types that are needed the most currently are O negative and RO.

"We need O negative because that's a universal blood type and can go to all patients," he said.

"For sickle cell we need donors who are RO and that is usually found in donors with black heritage."

In a statement the NHS said the service faced a challenging year in 2022 with low blood stocks.

"Existing donors are prioritised at these times as their blood type is known and they are more likely to complete a successful donation, which means appointments for first time donors are reduced," it said.

Blood stocks have "stabilised" since then, the statement added, and there are now more slots available for new donors and people who registered are being urged to book now.

David Rose, director of donor experience at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We always need new people to join our amazing community of lifesaving blood donors and help meet the needs of patients right now and in the future.

"If you are one of the 235,000 people who registered last year but are yet to attend an appointment, or you're thinking about signing up to donate, please make 2023 the year you save lives."

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