A HUGE thanks has been extended to blood donors who answered the call to an urgent appeal by NHS Blood and Transplant.
During the first seven days of the campaign, over 29,000 people registered as new donors and over 100,000 appointments were booked.
Of the 29,000 people who registered last week, 1,000 were from a Black heritage background.
NHS Blood and Transplant has around 50,000 appointments available every week; and needs to consistently fill appointments in order to meet the needs of hospitals and patients.
While community sessions are generally well supported, the greatest appointment availability is usually across the major town and city donor centres spread across the country.
Following the appeal issued on Monday, there has been a positive response from people of all blood types, however there remains a particular need for more O negative donors – the universal blood type used in emergencies – as well as donors of Black heritage who can help treat patients with sickle cell.
To mark World Sickle Cell Day the NHS has called on donors of Black heritage to come forward and give blood to help patients with the disease.
The NHS says Sickle cell is the country’s fastest growing inherited blood disorder that disproportionately affects Black African and Black Caribbean communities. Data suggests that in the UK around 250 babies a year are born with the condition.
Over 13,000 sickle cell patients currently rely on regular blood transfusions, and the best matched blood will often come from donors of the same ethnicity.
The NHS needs around 250 donations per day from Black heritage donors in order to meet current need, and demand continues to grow.
NHS Blood and Transplant needs over 17,000 regular donors of Black heritage to help meet growing demand for sickle cell patients. More than half of donors of Black heritage are likely to have the Ro blood type, compared with just 2.4 per cent of other ethnicities.
Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply, says: “We are so grateful for the response we have seen from new and existing donors across the country. Over 29,000 new donors registered and 100,000 booked appointments is an incredible response.
“However, with 50,000 appointments in need of filling each week, we urge people not to lose this momentum. As we head into the summer, we still have many appointments available to book – with 50,000 donor centre appointments still available over the next six weeks.
“And while we have seen a great response to our calls for more Black heritage donors to sign up to become blood donors, there remains a urgent need for more to register and give, as the demand for blood continues to grow.
“We very much hope that people who have registered, booked or donated for the first time over this past week, will become regular donors to help stabilise blood stocks and more people will continue to keep coming forward to help us save more lives in the future.”
As well as the need for more donors of Black heritage, there also remains an ongoing need for more O negative and B negative blood donors.
Anyone over 17-years-old, can register or book here, NHS Give Blood app or 0300 123 23 23.
