This World Blood Donor Day, we’re asking ‘who are you giving blood for’?

Giving blood ‘keeps the world beating’ by saving lives and improving the health and quality of life of many patients every day. Blood donations are used to treat medical conditions such as anaemia, cancer and blood disorders, as well as used in surgery and emergencies including childbirth.

Many people would not be alive today if it wasn’t for the generosity of blood donors. Just one donation of your blood can save up to three lives and is an amazing gift to people who need it.

We’re encouraging everyone who is able, to register to give blood on World Blood Donor Day, Monday 14 June. You can register and book your appointment on the NHS Give Blood website: www.blood.co.uk

Who are you giving blood for?

You may know someone close to you who needs regular blood transfusions, or who has needed blood in an emergency, and want to help contribute to the blood stocks that have saved their lives or improved their health.

Or you may want to give blood to be able to save the life of a stranger – somebody else’s family member, best friend or loved one, who you may never meet but who will have their lives changed because of your kindness.

Blood is always in high demand

This lifesaving service is required 365 days a year, and dedicated staff work day and night to process, test and distribute donated blood. The NHS Blood and Transplant service needs 5,000 donations every single day to meet the needs of patients across England, as well as requiring:

• Nearly 400 new donors a day to meet demand
• Around 135,000 new donors a year to replace those who can no longer donate
• 40,000 more black donors to meet growing demand for better-matched blood
• 30,000 new donors with priority blood types such as O negative every year
• More young people to start giving blood so we can make sure we have enough blood in the future

You can register to give blood, or book your next appointment on the Give Blood website here: https://www.blood.co.uk/

You can also check if you are able to give blood by completing this checklist on the Give Blood website: https://my.blood.co.uk/preregister

You can find out more about World Blood Day 2021 on the World Health Organisation website: here: https://www.who.int/news-room/events/detail/2021/06/14/default-calendar/world-blood-donor-day-2021 or follow the event hashtag #WorldBloodDonorDay on social media.