National Blood Donor Week 2024

This week, NHS Blood Donation has launched National Blood Donor Week to campaign for the lifesaving importance of blood donation and encourage those who have never donated to give it a go.

Every minute, NHS hospitals in England need 3 lifesaving blood donations – everything from emergency surgery to the precious blood that keeps people with sickle cell healthy. However, some blood types are in higher demand from hospitals than others. 

For example, approximately 8% of people have O negative blood, but O negative makes up 13% of requests from hospitals. This is because anyone can receive the red cells from O negative donors. Therefore, O negative red cells can be used in emergencies or when a person's blood type is unknown.

We also need donors particularly from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities because blood conditions like sickle cell and thalassaemia, which are treated through blood transfusions, most commonly affect people from those ethnic backgrounds.

World Blood Donor Day

Every year, countries around the world unite to celebrate World Blood Donor Day. This year, the 20th anniversary of World Blood Donor Day serves as an excellent and timely opportunity to thank voluntary, unpaid blood donors across the world for their life-saving donations over the years. The event also seeks to highlight the need for safe blood and blood products to ensure that safe blood transfusion is universally accessible.

The objectives of the campaign:

• thank and recognise the millions of voluntary blood donors who have contributed to the health and well-being of millions of people around the world.
• showcase the achievements and challenges of national blood programmes and share best practices and lessons learned.
• highlight the continuous need for regular, unpaid blood donation to achieve universal access to safe blood transfusion.
• promote a culture of regular blood donation among young people and the general public and increase the diversity and sustainability of the blood donor pool.

How can I give blood?

The NHS has put together this guide to support people throughout their blood donation journey. Read the eligibility criteria to find out more about who can and can’t donate blood. 

If you meet the criteria and would like to give blood, you will need to register and this process takes about 5 minutes to complete. Once you have registered, you can book an appointment at a venue that is most convenient for you. Find out more about where you can donate blood.