NHS Blood and Transplant manages the national voluntary donation system for blood, plasma, tissues, organs and stem cells. Also
@GiveBloodNHS
and
@NHSOrganDonor
Today we’ve issued an alert on blood stocks and have asked hospitals to put measures in place to ensure that blood remains available for those in greatest need.
If you are O positive or O negative please make an appointment as soon as you can.
Read more:
The eligibility rules around blood donation are changing from 14 June.
We're excited to move towards a more inclusive and fairer process allowing as many people as possible to make the life-saving decision to give blood safely.
Find out more ➡️
Happy 75th birthday to the NHS!! 🎂
Thank you to all our colleagues, donors and supporters who help save lives every day.
It's the people that make the NHS so special. 💙
#NHS75
Fantastic work from our team as they process convalescent plasma donations.
In these photos we are splitting units of plasma into single doses, a process in which one donor can usually donate a double dose of FFP (fresh frozen plasma) - potentially saving two patients. 🤯👏🏽
📣 BIG NEWS: From next year, people renewing their passport will be asked if they'd also like to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register.
It's thanks to a new partnership with
@DHSCgovuk
and
@ukhomeoffice
to save lives.
#OrganDonationWeek
“We join the nation in mourning the death of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. On behalf of NHS Blood and Transplant, I extend our deepest sympathies to the Royal Family.”
- Peter Wyman, Chair of NHS Blood and Transplant
The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon.
The King and The Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.
Mark is one of London’s first repeat convalescent plasma donors.
“I genuinely feared that it might be the last goodbye as the ambulance doors shut. I had five days of oxygen therapy in hospital.
"Donating is a very small way to extend my heartfelt thanks to the NHS.”
Today marks a landmark change to blood donation eligibility rules! 🎉🙌
These new eligibility rules will allow more men who have sex with men to donate blood, platelets and plasma.
Read more➡️
#WorldBloodDonorDay
Congratulations to Professor Simon Kay who has been awarded an OBE in the New Year Honours. He became the first UK surgeon to complete a double hand transplant, transforming the life of 57-year-old Chris King, who lost both hands in an accident at work.
BREAKING NEWS: Thousands of people in England with conditions like sickle cell and thalassaemia will soon have access to a test that helps the NHS provide better matched blood for them.
It’s thanks to a big investment from
@NHSEngland
&
@NIHRresearch
.
It’s
#OrganDonationWeek
! 🫀 🫁
Join us this week and have a conversation about organ donation with your loved ones that could one day save lives.
#LeaveThemCertain
💬
You might have heard in the news about our involvement in the world’s first clinical trial to test how red blood cells grown in a lab function in another person.
@AshToye_Bristol
explains more about the RESTORE trial.
Read more ➡️
We are leading a major new programme to collect plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19.
If successful up to 5,000 severely ill patients could be treated each week with plasma from those who have recovered from the illness.
We're delighted to announce that Anthony Clarkson has been appointed our Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation. Congratulations
@AJClarksonNHS
!
We’re leading a major programme to collect plasma from people who've recovered from
#COVID19
.
This is to support a clinical trial to determine if plasma from recovered patients can help those battling the illness.
Find out more:
Thank you for the incredible support yesterday from everyone who came forward to give blood!
We had so many visits to our website it led to queues. If you weren’t able to book an appointment, please do come back and book for future weeks and months as your support is vital.
After donating blood and platelets for most of her adult life, Lesley Walker has been recognised with a British Empire Medal for voluntary services to the NHS. Congratulations Lesley! 👏👏👏
We're delighted to announce that Anthony Clarkson, currently Assistant Director of Organ Donation and Nursing will soon become our Interim Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation.
This
#WorldSickleCellDay
, we’re excited by the potential in a new blood group genotyping programme to better match blood for transfusions.
Tests to discover more about extended blood groups could help people with sickle cell, like Dean and Stephanie.
➡️
From today, we’ll be able to start using plasma from blood donations for lifesaving medicines.
Your red blood cells will still be used as normal so your blood donation will save and improve even more lives than it does already.
Find out more ➡️
Today, for the first time in more than 20 years, people will be donating blood plasma for antibody medicines.
They save the lives of people like Natalie with rare diseases but there's a global shortage.
We'll be contacting existing donors - please give if we get in touch.
Max and Keira’s Law – the Organ Donation (Deemed Consent) Act, has now come into effect in England.
You still have a choice if you want to be an organ donor or not when you die.
Find out more:
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS to our very own
@esallyjohnson
, Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, who has been made an OBE (Officers of the Order of the British Empire) for services to Organ Donors and Recipients.
The first units of convalescent plasma donated by recovered
#Covid19
patients have been supplied to hospitals, and the first transfusions have taken place.
Teaching about blood, organ and stem cell donation is now part of the national curriculum for the first time!
All secondary school children in England will be taught how to save lives through donation. ❤️
Find out more ➡️
A fascinating look at a new method to preserve donor hearts. 🫀
The XVIVO Heartbox has been used at 3 UK hospitals, to see if the technology helps store organs longer. It works by supplying blood and oxygen during transport.
See more from
@itvtynetees
.
Following recent events, our Chief Executive Betsy Bassis and Chair Millie Banerjee share a statement on behalf of NHS Blood and Transplant calling out racial injustice.
O negative blood can be a lifeline in an emergency.
We urgently need more O negative donations. To book a priority appointment please call 0300 123 23 23.
#GiveBlood
Congratulations to Professor John Forsythe, our Medical Director for Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation, and other organ donation champions who have been recognised in The Queen’s New Year’s Honours list! 👏👏👏
From today, blood donors in England are starting to give samples to
@ukfuturehealth
. 🩸
It’ll help the health research programme study conditions like diabetes.
And the genetic data will help NHSBT better match blood, organs and stem cells.
@1goodtern
If you'd like some further information on these guidelines, we can certainly pass your request along to the relevant team, who can help further. If you'd like us to do this, please can you send us a DM?
Thanks - Patrick
It's
#WorldBloodDonorDay
, a chance to recognise and thank the donors who save lives.
320 people give blood for the first time every day.
Could you be next?
Register to become a donor ➡️
#GivingType
Every few seconds someone, somewhere, needs blood.
Thank you to the amazing donor heroes saving lives all over the world today and every day.
#WorldBloodDonorDay
🌍🩸❤️
Today marks the first national
#ThankYouDay
and a chance to say thank you to everyone who has helped us through the last 18 months.
Thank you to our amazing donors, supporters, volunteers and colleagues who continue to work together to save and improve lives every day. 💙
Happy 70th Birthday to the NHS!
Thousands of lives are saved and improved thanks to the generosity of donors. Give the NHS a special 70th birthday present - give blood and join the Organ Donor Register.
#NHS70
We’re taking plasma donations again – please donate if you’ve had COVID-19.
There are trials for early use in high-risk groups such as the elderly and people with cancer. Your donation will help plasma be ready for them.
More details here ➡️
Let's celebrate
#NationalBloodWeek
! 🩸
We're launching our new campaign, the
#GivingType
, to appeal to the nation's giving types to give blood.
Hospitals in England need 4,300 blood donations on average every day. Could you help?
Find out more ➡️
We urgently need more O+ O- A+ B+ blood and A- platelets to recover stock levels that we aim to keep above 6 days. You can walk in and donate at our fixed site donor centres, and we’ve added extra appointments next week. Find out where you can donate at
Sally Johnson, currently Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation, will become our interim Chief Executive Officer when Ian Trenholm leaves at the end of July to take on his new role as Chief Executive of the Care Quality Commission.
We’re excited to launch 35 new projects today as part of the Community Investment Scheme funded by
@DHSCgovuk
. These projects will help us address a shortage of ethnically matched organs and blood in Black and Asian communities.
We're thrilled to announce that NHS Blood and Transplant has not only been awarded a Gold Award but has also made it into Stonewall's list of top 100 employers for the first time.
Read more here ➡️
#NHS
#LGBTHistoryMonth
#Recognition
Today we’re holding a conference on the five year future of blood transfusion – patients in England receive more than 2 million blood components a year and blood is fundamental to the NHS
@DHSCgovuk
#NHS
#Transfusion2024
Ahead of
#InternationalNursesDay
, our new Chief Exec
@BassisBetsy
sends a huge THANK YOU to all of our wonderful nurses for the amazing work they do and their dedication to saving and improving lives! 👩🏻⚕️👨🏾⚕️👨🏻⚕️👩🏿⚕️
Blood donation rules are changing from Monday!
All donors will be asked the same gender-neutral questions when they come to give blood. We're excited to move to a more inclusive process where more people than ever will be able to save lives. ❤️
.
@Darren_Buttrick
was one of the first 2,000 people in the UK to contract COVID. Now, he’s a regular plasma donor having donated 15 times. Find how you can become a donor
Ann, the first person in the UK to receive COVID-19 convalescent plasma, has cut the ribbon to officially open our new plasma donor centre
@westfieldstrat
.
Blood stocks are critically low, please keep donating so we can get lifesaving blood to patients in need.
We have spaces to donate at many of our town and city centre venues. Please book an appointment, we need you more than ever.
#GiveBlood
🩸
Great to see giving blood listed by
@guardian
as the number 1 thing people can do to show kindness in 2023.
Also brilliant to see giving platelets and plasma featured!
Our donors are incredible people - become one by registering this
#NewYear
.
Whatever your organ donation decision, it’s important to talk with your loved ones to give them the certainty they need to support it.
#LeaveThemCertain
Do you know your blood type? 🅰️🅱️🆎🅾️ 🩸 🤔
Register to become a blood donor this
#NationalBloodWeek
, find out your blood type and help save up to three lives every time you donate.
Our thoughts are with Simonne’s family at this tragic time. She was a valued member of the B Positive choir who was passionate about blood donation following the loss of her son. We are devastated at the loss of a well-liked choir member and friend.
We're proud to confirm that our
@NHSOrganDonor
Donor Records Department has been shortlisted for a prestigious
@hsjvalue
award in the Clinical Support category. Well done to the team and good luck to all the worthy finalists!
#HSJValue
We’re disappointed at the RECOVERY trial interim plasma results but incredibly proud of our staff and donors – thank you.
We’re suspending plasma donations for a week but please keep your appointment if you’re booked in after that.
More here:
This
#OrganDonationWeek
, we hope to inspire thousands more people to confirm their decision on the NHS Organ Donor.
It only takes 2 minutes but could save up to 9 lives.
Act now to save lives in the future ➡️
We're opening 14 more pop-up donor centres for the world’s largest randomised trial of blood plasma as a treatment for COVID-19.
If you've had coronavirus, please volunteer to donate plasma. You could save lives.
We were honoured to welcome HRH The Princess Royal to officially open our new world class blood centre in Barnsley yesterday.
The team was proud to share the work they do in helping patients receive lifesaving services with Her Royal Highness.
A wait for the bus 🚌 is nothing when compared to the wait 7,000 people in the UK face for an organ transplant 🫀 .
This
#OrganDonationWeek
, it's been great to see
@stagecoachgroup
issuing tickets like this to passengers in Central and South West England. Thanks for the support!
A world-first paediatric heart transplant technique that ‘reanimates’ the heart outside of the body has boosted the number of life-saving operations for children in the UK. 🫀
And finally, Clare Jones is our Organ and Tissue Donation and Transplantation Chief Nurse Fellow.
Clare works as an organ donation team manager in Yorkshire.
Her fellowship is focusing on improving the tissue donation pathway.
If you've recovered from
#COVID19
, please consider donating blood plasma to support clinical trials in the fight against the virus.
Your antibody-rich plasma could help other
#coronavirus
patients.
Find out more:
Thanks to our dedicated donors, hardworking teams and supportive hospitals, we’re able to lift the amber alert on blood stocks today.
Levels of blood have reached the 6-day target and we’ve made progress in recruiting more front line staff.
Read more ➡️
Please join us at 11am today as we observe a minute's silence to remember the NHS staff and key workers who have tragically lost their lives to
#coronavirus
.
#NeverForgotten
“From the first day of nursing training I couldn’t image doing anything else.
"The smiles on donor's faces knowing that they are doing something to help save lives is amazing and I'm glad to be able to facilitate that process.” -Session Sister Charlotte
#InternationalNursesDay
We’re very pleased to share the news today that recommendations from the FAIR steering group to enable a more individualised way of assessing safe blood donations have been accepted by
@DHSCgovuk
➡️
We’re at
@TheBusinessShow
this week, signing up new life-saving donors.
We’ll be around tomorrow too, come and see us at stand B1423 to find out your blood type! 🩸
#GiveBlood
"I always knew I wanted to be a scientist, when I was younger I wanted to be an Archaeologist like Indiana Jones! NHSBT is a great place to work as a scientist & working in the Research and Development office has helped grow & nurture my ambition as researcher."
#AdaLovelaceDay
Well done to our Liverpool team who raised a fantastic £4,228 for
@bloodwise_uk
in November selling merchandise and collecting donations at the Liverpool Empire Theatre. 👏👏👏
Today is an exciting day for donors and patients following the decision by ministers to lift the ban on UK plasma for fractionation.
Blood donations given by UK donors will now be able to save and improve even more lives in the years ahead.
Read more ➡️
Huge congratulations to our Interim Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation
@AJClarksonNHS
on winning the Clinical Leader of the Year Award at
@HSJ_Awards
! 👏👏👏
We've had some queries about whether having - or not having - the Covid vaccination affects a person's ability to donate or receive a transplant.
You can donate or receive a transplant whether you’ve had the Covid-19 vaccination or not, as long as you're eligible.
Let’s turn the skies pink for
#OrganDonationWeek
!
We want local landmarks to light up pink during 19 and 25 September to get people talking about organ donation.
Is there an attraction that you’d love to see pink? Use our letter to contact them ➡️