Basingstoke ObserverNHS Blood and Transplant are urging people in Hampshire to give blood as new targets reveal 7285 new donors are needed in the region to save lives over the next year.
Nationally one million more blood donors are needed over the next five years to ensure patients receive the right type of blood to save and improve their lives, with a particular need for Black African, Black Caribbean and younger donors.
The five-year Blood Service Strategy, published at the start of National Blood Week, sets ambitious plans to recruit up to a million new donors and double the number of regular donors with the rarest blood types. This will ensure better matched blood types for patients in the future and reduce health inequalities.
Stephen Cornes, Director of Blood Supply at NHS Blood and Transplant said: “Currently we can only meet around half of the demand for Ro blood through our existing donor base and demand for this rare blood type is rising. This means many sickle cell patients often receive less well-matched blood which, while clinically suitable, can pose a longer-term risk to patients who receive regular transfusions. We urgently need new Black African and Black Caribbean donors to come forward and donate blood.
In addition to the rarest blood types, we also need 1 million new donors over the next five years of all blood types. As the NHS treats more patients, we need to grow the total number of donors too.
We carefully manage stocks to ensure we do not waste any precious blood. If you cannot get an appointment immediately it is because we have enough of your blood type right now. Please book for a later date or respond when we contact you.”
Three-year-old Aiden Davis needed a lifesaving blood transfusion as a newborn baby. His mum’s blood had crossed the placenta and reacted against his own blood, destroying his red cells.
Mum Steph Davis, 39, a teacher from Hampshire, said: “There was a battle going on in Aiden’s blood. We were told the only way he could survive was with a full blood exchange.
He was newborn, I’d only held him a couple of times, and within a few hours was told this is the only way to save him.”
This outstanding team of consultants, doctors, nurses and support staff were true heroes as they saved our little boy’s life and gave us the best possible care to ensure we could bring him home.
However, their achievements would not have been possible without the selfless generosity of blood donors, who in our eyes are the unknown heroes for Aiden’s story.”
I am forever grateful to the people who donated the blood. You take it for granted there will be blood there and that it will be compatible for your needs, and if it hadn’t been there, we wouldn’t have Aiden now.”
Attend a What’s Your Blood Type event or register today and book an appointment by visiting blood.co.uk, downloading the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23. Or if you are an existing donor and have not donated in a while, book your next appointment, or keep checking back for future appointments.
