| Q |
Who
can give blood? |
| A |
Anyone
between the ages of 17 and 60 who are fit and healthy. Regular donors
can keep on giving blood right up until the age of 70. For more information
on who can donate, please click here.
|
| Q |
Will
I be asked hundreds of questions before I give blood? |
| A |
Yes,
we will be asking you a number of questions, but don't worry - we
promise to get through it all as quickly as possible. And there is
a good reason for it. Our primary concern is that giving blood won't
affect your health in any way. We also have to make sure that your
blood is safe for patients. We just need to find out whether or not
you can give blood. Things like medical conditions, even colds, can
all affect your suitability, although usually it's just temporary.
We do need your co-operation in answering these questions. And of
course all your details will be treated in the strictest confidence.
Click here for the
Medical query form.
|
| Q |
What
if I need to take medication? |
| A |
Do
tell us if you're on any kind of medication. Medicines, pills, injections,
anything. Some of these may affect your blood and mean we can't take
your donation for now. For more information please call 0845
7 711 711
|
| Q |
Can
I bring a friend? |
| A |
Please do. The more the merrier!
|
| Q |
How
often can I give blood? |
| A |
3
times a year, which comes to roughly every 16 weeks.
|
| Q |
How
much blood will I lose? |
| A |
Only
about 470 ml, which is just under a pint, and not, as some have thought,
quite an armful. Bodies are amazing things, and yours will replace
that lost fluid in a very short period of time.
|
| Q |
How
will giving blood affect my health? |
| A |
If
you're fit and healthy, you shouldn't experience any problems whatsoever.
|
| Q |
What
if I develop an infection after I donate? |
| A |
If
you become unwell within two weeks of your donation, or if you believe
there's any reason why your blood shouldn't be transfused to a patient,
please call us on 0845 7 711 711.
|
| Q |
What
if I feel faint when I get home? |
| A |
You
need to take it easy for a few hours after giving blood, so give that
aerobics class a miss. But if you do feel faint or dizzy, sit down
immediately and put your head between your knees. Ideally, let someone
else know if you're feeling a bit faint. If faintness persists after
your donation, don't hesitate to call us on 0845
7 711 711 to let us know and we'll be able to advise you further.
Click here for more on feeling faint.
|
| Q |
What
can I do before and after giving blood? |
| A |
Drink
loads of liquid before and after you donate - and not the alcoholic
variety please. Eat your regular meals too, and do let us know if
you've skipped a meal on the day.
|
| Q |
Can
I smoke after giving blood? |
| A |
Probably
best that you don't for about two hours after donating, as it might
make you feel dizzy or faint.
|
| Q |
Can
I go back to work on the same day? |
| A |
Unfortunately
the answer is yes. However, there's always an 'however' - and it's
unwise to give blood just before undertaking a hazardous hobby or
job, such as driving a crane or driving in the emergency services.
|
| Q |
Where
does your blood go? |
| A |
Your blood will be taken to one of our many blood centres up and down
the country. There the blood will undergo some rigorous tests to make
sure it's clear of things like HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.
That's when we also figure out your blood group too. Once that's been
determined, we do the tricky scientific stuff - separating the various
components, like red cells, plasma and platelets. These produce the
various products needed. Once the blood has been sorted into its different
types, and all the tests are clear, it's then distributed to hospitals
to meet their predicted demand. There your blood is used on whoever
needs it most. Click here to see the
current blood stock levels.
|
| Q |
I
want to organise a talk for my local youth group about blood donation
- how do I go about it? |
| A |
The NBS can provide informative talks for groups, schools and colleges.
Click here and
fill in the enquiry form, or telephone our donor helpline for details
on 0845 7 711 711.
|
| Q |
I gave up smoking and I am using patches, will I still be able to give blood? |
| A |
Yes, probably. If you suffer from any symptoms as a result of quitting,
we suggest you only give blood once those symptoms have passed.
Most patches, nasal sprays and gum do not prevent you from giving blood but bring them along to the session and show the nurse or doctor before donating.
|
| Q |
I
sometimes take tranquillisers. Does this prevent me from giving blood? |
| A |
The session medical staff will need to see what medication you are
on, so bring it with you. The nurse or doctor may have a quick chat
with you about your medication and any underlying condition, but in
the vast majority of cases tranquillisers do not stop you from giving
blood.
|
| Q |
I
suffer from varicose veins. As blood is carried around my body through
my veins am I able to give blood? |
| A |
Providing you are otherwise fit and healthy you are still able to
be a blood donor and donating will do you no harm. However, if you
are awaiting surgery or have recently had surgery this may temporarily
exclude you.
|
| Q |
I’ve
heard that the NBS now wants to know a donor’s ethnic origin.
Why does this matter? |
| A |
The ethnic origin of donors is medically important because it makes
it easier for us to find and match blood for recipients with rarer
blood groups. Secondly, the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 means
that we have to monitor the accessibility of our services to all communities,
including how well we provide opportunities to donate blood. All personal
donor information remains confidential, and is seen and used only
by our staff and those we work closely with in providing our services.
If you prefer not to give us this information, that’s no problem,
just tell us and we won’t ask you again for it.
|
| Q |
I've
just had a tattoo and am dismayed that I can't donate for 6 months.
Why? My tattooist is registered with the local council and new needles
were used. |
| A |
There is always an infection risk whenever the skin is pierced, and
tattooing means lots of piercing. Acupuncturists and other therapists
who are members of professional organisations that are approved by
the NBS are permitted to issue their clients/patients with certificates
showing that the body piercing has been carried out under approved
conditions and is free of the risk of infection. As yet, there is
no professional organisation that will do this for tattooists. You
MUST tell us if you have had ear piercing, body piercing or tattooing,
or have had acupuncture outside of the NHS between 6 and 12 months
ago as your donation will need an additional blood test.
|
| Q |
I
have started taking 75mg of aspirin a day to thin my blood and help
prevent heart attacks. Will this affect my ability to donate blood? |
| A |
You can donate blood but, because aspirin may affect platelet function,
your donation will not be used for preparing platelets. That is why
it is always important to let us know if you are taking any over the
counter medication regularly.
|
| Q |
I've
heard that blood is used for research. Isn't it all needed by patients? |
| A |
When you come to donate blood the leaflet you are asked to read, tells
you that occasionally blood that is not needed for transfusion maybe
used for research and development work. All such use is carefully
controlled, ethical approval is obtained where appropriate and no
donor is identified.
|
| Q |
I
am a vegetarian, can I give blood? |
| A |
There is no problem with vegetarians giving blood. The red blood cells,
which require iron from the stores in your body, will need to be replaced
after the donation. Provided you eat a well-balanced diet you should
be able to replenish your iron supply within a month. However, this
may take longer because you are a vegetarian.
|
| Q |
Why are people who have or think they may have received a blood transfusion since 1980 no longer able to give blood? |
| A |
This step has been implemented by all four of the UK Blood Services on 2nd August 2004. It is a further precautionary measure against the possible risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) being transmitted by blood and blood products.
vCJD is thought to be the consequence of eating contaminated beef, related to BSE (or mad cow disease) in UK cattle after 1980. Fortunately, vCJD is very rare. But in late 2003, there was evidence that a blood donor transmitted vCJD to a patient, via transfusion. Scientists are not 100% sure that this is the case, as it is possible that both donor and patient acquired vCJD by eating contaminated beef.
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