Who Can Give Blood?
Most people can give blood. If you are generally in good health, age 17 to
65 (if it's your first time) and weigh at least 50kg (7st 12Ib) you can donate.
However, If you are female, aged under 20 years old and weigh under 65kg (10st
3lb) and are under 168cm (5' 6") in height, we need to estimate your blood
volume before donating. There is no medical reason for an upper weight limit.
However, our current donation beds and chairs are designed to safely
accommodate a person weighing up to 25 stone (350 lb or 158 kg). You will need
to be able to get on and off the donation bed or chair unaided or, if you have
mobility problems, to bring someone along to assist you.
2)Female donors can give every 16 weeks or approximately every 4
months.Male donors can give blood every 12 weeks. That's approximately every 3
months or 4 times in a 12 month period.
Who Can't Give Blood?
Although most people are potentially able to give blood, some are not.There
are a variety of reasons why we might ask you not to give blood, but they fall
into two main categories. Firstly, if evidence suggests that donating blood
could potentially harm you, then to protect your safety we would ask you not to
donate. Secondly, if evidence suggests that your donation could potentially
harm the patient receiving it, then we would ask you not to donate.
This would include the situation where a specific behaviour may have put
you at a higher risk of an infection which could be transmitted to a patient by
blood.
Many of the rules implemented in the UK on who can give blood are a
requirement of European law. However, there are a number of expert committees
that regularly review the evidence relating to exclusions and deferrals from
blood donation. Policies which specifically relate to the safety of blood for
patients are recommended to the Government by the independent advisory
committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO). A key part of
their work is to ensure that the policies applied by the UK Blood Services are
based on the best available scientific evidence.
If you are not able to give blood we know this can be disappointing.
However, we hope you will understand that our overriding responsibility is to
ensure the safety of donors and the safety of blood for patients.
Putting safety first
While both donating and receiving blood is extremely safe, these procedures
do have potential risks. So we are constantly assessing and managing these
risks, balancing them with the benefits to patients and donors.
Safety doesn’t begin and end at our blood centres - hospitals, patients and
donors have a role to play as well.
Reducing donor risk
The Donor Health Check (DHC) is designed to helps us spot potential
problems for donor and patient. Together with the medical screening we carry
out at every session, we can assess if it’s safe for someone to donate that
day.
Reducing patient risk
The DHC is our first line of defence. That’s why it’s crucial that you read
this each time because our safety rules or your personal circumstances may have
changed. Our next line of defence is ensuring our staff follow best practice
guidelines on things such as arm cleaning. And of course, back in our labs we
test every donation to pick up any dangerous infections.
Testing to cut risk
Our scientists check every donation for a number of different infections.
Very occasionally the tests fail to detect one that is present, especially if
it’s very recent. The blood may be infectious to a patient, but our tests could
not find the infection (it’s called the window period). That’s why the DHC
questions are so vital to help us spot the risk.
Thanks to these questions, processes and tests, the main risk from a blood
transfusion is not an infection but being given blood of the wrong blood group.
There are many reasons why, at times, you may not be able to give blood.
To help save donors from wasted time and wasted journeys, this page shows the
top reasons why you may be unable to donate blood:
Feel unwell:Chesty cough/cold or an active cold sore?
Antibiotics:Taking a course or completed a course in the past 7 days?
Dental work:Any visit to a dentist, any procedure or seen a hygienist in
the past 7 days?
Cardiovascular:Have you got or had any heart conditions?
Infection:Within the past 2 weeks?
On hospital waiting list:Or currently undergoing medical tests?
Travelled outside the UK (including business) within the past 6 months?
Any new piercings or tattoos in the past 4 months?
Donating blood is simple.
To find out what happens please take a walk through our virtual tour. When
you arrive, you'll be asked to read a number of leaflets and fill in a Donor
Health Check (DHC) questionnaire and may have a confidential discussion with a
nurse. All answers are treated in the strictest confidence.
A tiny drop of blood is taken from your fingertip. This allows us to check
your haemoglobin levels and ensure that giving blood won't make you anaemic.
If all is well, you will be able to donate blood. You will donate about
470ml of blood - this amount of blood is quickly replaced by your body. Learn
more about how the body replaces blood.
Once you have given blood, you should have a short rest before being given
some refreshments usually a drink and biscuits. All in all giving blood
shouldn't take more than an hour.
Please remember to have something to eat and drink before you give blood.
Here is the link to a questionnaire to see if you are able to give blood
How Blood is used?
Whole blood
This is rarely used these days, only really in instances of severe blood
loss. It's usually separated into its individual components.
Red cells
Red blood cells in a blood vessel
The main function of red blood cells is to distribute oxygen to body
tissues and to carry waste carbon dioxide back to the lungs.
These are used in the treatment of all kinds of anaemia which can't be
medically corrected, such as when rheumatoid arthritis or cancer is involved,
when red cells break down in the newborn and for sickle cell disease.
They're also essential to replace lost red cells due to blood loss in
accidents, surgery and after childbirth.
Here is the link where all the information came from it has a post code
checker to see when the van will be in your area and has all the information
and phone numbers you need,
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