'only way to find out your blood group is to give blood'???

[52andblue]

I called my GP to find out my blood group.
I was told 'not on your records unless you've given blood'
I have given birth and had recent surgery so surely it would be on there?
I was told the only way to find out is to give blood?
My kids are at a different GP. I was told their blood groups also 'not avail'. I have recollections of a 'green book' when they were babies but they are now nearly 14 and 17 so probably long lost.

They are joining Cadets and want the wee dog tags which say which blood group you are. It's not essential but surely it should be possible to find out without giving blood or trying to phone hospital where I gave birth (the other suggestion) ? Do I have to pay for a SAR?

can you ask the surgical department ?

I was told mine when I was pregnant.

I found out when pregnant. Had to have the anti-d injections because I'm a negative blood group

@Waxonwaxoff0 I expect i was too, but I can't remember, unfortunately.
I expect i could chase around old hospital surgery depts.
It just seems odd that it isn't easily avail on med records. perhaps it is, you just have to pay for the info?

I think if blood group is unknown, in an emergency situation, they just give you type O negative, because it's compatible with everybody.

I wouldn't have thought that medics would rely on information on dog tags, which might be inaccurate or get lost anyway.

Mine was on my pregnancy notes. I'm not sure it would be separately stored on my GP file, but it would be accessible there or on my hospital record presumably, but possibly only by accessing the copies of letters rather than the summary record.

I don't think a child's would be available unless they'd had cause to have blood tests of some sort?

I know mine from giving blood. If people don’t give blood when they are medically able to then I judge them.

If you know your parents' blood types you can sometimes tell from that. For example, if they are both type O, then so are you. If you didn't have to have Rh factor treatment whilst pregnant, then you are Rh+.

It’s the situation in the uk NHS. Nothing is done unless absolutely essential.

I’d pay for private tests for all of you if you want to know. People in other countries know, we are a bit primitive!

Your blood group may be saved in your hospital bloods from when you had your children - it may not be accessible to the GP online though. It isn’t necessarily checked before every operation. It’s of absolutely no value (beyond interest) to have it written down anywhere because a group & save / cross match would still need to be tested and repeated in the event of needing a transfusion.

If you didn't have to have Rh factor treatment whilst pregnant, then you are Rh+

Minor technicality, but does that still apply when both parents are Rh-? I know it's quite an unusual situation, because you've got to have a couple where both parents have quite a rare blood type, but that's the case for my parents.

@BashfulClam good job you found this thread about whether it’s unreasonable to not give blood when medically able to... oh no, wait a minute... 🤦🏼‍♀️

Group and screens are only done when indicated - it isn’t ‘routine’ so yy - probably no one knows what your kids’ blood groups are if they’ve never been involved in a major trauma or needed major surgery.
Yours will have been done in pregnancy to 1. Screen for blood groups antibodies that can cause haemolytic disease of the newborn and 2. To have a historical group available in case you need blood or blood products peri delivery

You can buy a home test kit. Like this one. homehealth-uk.com/all-products/bloodgroup/

@BarbaraofSeville
If true RhD neg parents then progeny will all be RhD neg
We still would test though as significant issues with non paternity in the uk and (rare) there are RhD variants and weak D which type as negative (appropriately) with hospital blood bank reagents but as positive (appropriately) with blood service reagents.

What @Greybeardy and @Helspopje. There is a strong possibility that your children’s blood groups have never been tested.

I’m a community midwife and for some reason group and save bloods never come through to System One (one of the softwares used in GP surgeries - not all) without manually accessing them via ICE.

What they said, not just ‘what’ 😂

I very much doubt any hospital will take note of patient supplied blood types in case of emergency. They will do their own checks, and provide Oneg or just fluid until they have their own answer.
Dont worry about providing that info.

BashfulClam I'm medically able (and willing) to give blood, but dont. Gonna judge me? Or listen to the blood bank who have asked me not to donate due to where I've lived previously.

Not a clue. I've asked and they don't have a record of mine. I'm under haematology too and had previous spinal surgery

Well Bashful I have given blood twice and it made me anaemic for the first time in my life. Took 2 years to right that. I’d discourage my dd for that reason.

I know mine because of giving blood/pregnancy. I know dh's because he had to give blood to get his blood type (not on medical records) when I was pregnant with dc1 as I'm A- so we needed to know. Dh is A+. All our dc's blood groups are A+. I took that info from their birth records. I think it was noted when they had their heel prick test.

Yes it sucks that this info isn't easily available from medical records for the majority. But I guess it's also a good way of increasing blood donors.

I already knew my blood type because we used to do that in my native country. I heard they don't do that anymore. Also in one of the science lesson(not in UK), we had to check our blood type ourselves. It was simple, stab the finger and stick the blood onto a kit. I assume it must be something similar to @WrongKindOfFace linked.
But most recently, it was on my medical record when I was pregnant.

'They are joining Cadets and want the wee dog tags which say which blood group you are.'
I don't think you get these as part of issue kit in the cadets do you? The dog tags are generally only worn in event you'd likely have a battlefield injury and would need to be identified or couldn't give medical info due to being incapacitated. Are the just wanting them to look 'gucci' ?

Your blood group is not recorded on your GP record but you can probably have a test at your local hospital, there will be a charge and there has to be a really good reason to need it, not just curiosity.

Apparently, I've been told if you needed blood type testing as an emergency they would still do it even if your blood donation card specifies your blood group.

Sorry, if that's the case the British Army ones are round and you can buy similar ones on etsy :) they won't have a number will they anyway so will just have name on it?