Donating blood is not made easy for people

[Floogal]

Listening to today's news, regarding the severe shortages of blood stocks and the call to get more donors has got me thinking.

https://www.itv.com/news/2025-06-09/nhs-calls-for-an-extra-200000-blood-donors-as-stocks-run-low

They don't exactly make it easy for people to donate as sessions are often at inconvenient times and places (week days and working hours when most people are working). And as a former donor myself, I was often made to feel that they were doing me a favour by letting me donate. Not forgetting the cancelled sessions.

Jesus, I thought they were being unreasonable suggesting I do a 40 minute round trip 😂

I’ve donated 30 times, my DH has had more blood transfusions than he can remember so it’s important to me to donate but, I am finding more and more I have to go out of my way to do it. After lockdown I called to check I could
still bring my children and was told I could if I couldn’t make any other arrangements, when I turned up they tried to turn me away and I refused to go, at the end the man who tried to turn me away apologised because his children wouldn’t have sat still, but I wouldn’t have brought them if I didn’t think they’d behave, I think it’s a real shame children can’t go anymore because it helped them understand last time their dad was in hospital.

O Rh- - so you would think they would want me.
1 x cancelled session
1 x told me there was no appointments near me until September
1x the guy was rude to me on the phone because I couldn’t commit to a September date because I don’t know my working days
1x finally booked in by someone different in July - so we shall see.

Whatever happened to the drop in sessions? I used to go to my village hall when I was a young adult living with my parents and never booked it.

It's a lot more difficult than it used to be. Drop in isn't allowed instead they over book and cancel appointments.

They made a donation centre in Birmingham but it's a bit of a journey to it, plus usually at least an hour there.

The blood donation team used to show up in our local school for a couple of evenings twice a year. It was really easy to drop in to donate on the way home from work, the team were lovely and I often bumped into friends and neighbours to chat to. Then it all changed, the nearest centre is now 10 miles away, in quite a rough area, limited parking and no public transport. It's appointment only and there never seem to be any available slots. From previous comments it's the same elsewhere. It's no wonder that fewer people donate now.

I can't remember how long it's been since I donated, definitely at least seven years though (before I had my son). At least once a year I try, but I can never get an appointment that I could actually attend.
It's frustrating, because I want to do it. It is was a really easy way to feel like you did something good!

No children is bizarre, where are they expecting to get the next generation of donations?

I'm not sure that's a great idea. If you're at the Dr's you're usually unwell and shouldn't be donating.

Yeah after I had my children I decided I would start donating and thought I’d start going to vans that popped up from time to time locally. But I haven’t seen one in 10 years. I’m more than happy to donate but I wasn’t planning on going out of my way. I was expecting more of a pop in session when it was around the corner.

My Mum's life was saved by blood transfusion in the middle of the night. If donors had been worried about being inconvenienced she would have died as they maybe have not bothered to give blood.

Of course you may have a different view and that is fine.

I don't really want to be accosted by donations staff, handed a load of vetting forms to fill out, then go through the donation process while I'm trying to see a GP. It's a miserable enough experience as it is.

Same issue for me as others: live and work in Central London… you still have to travel to donate! And it’s never on a weekend

I'm also quite a rare blood type. Before the blood service changed providers they were always delighted when I turned up to donate. Now I've been trying to make an appointment to donate for years and they always say there's no need for my blood. I live in London near four major hospitals and they don't need it? Although from the sound of some of these experiences, it doesn't sound like they value anyone particularly!

The cynic in me suspects the "shortage" is no such thing, and this drive is tied solely to the Government's recent "war prep" rhetoric.

Certainly used to be the case that the vast majority of whole blood donations simply sat around in a cold store for 30 days and were then incinerated, because the amount of blood stored always vastly outweighed the amount required, purely because the Government mandated a minimum stock intended to cover what would theoretically be required due to an outbreak of war.

Evidence to back that rather bold claim up please?

Former BTS employee

If you want something valuable from people and you want it for free then it needs to be easy for people to give at their convenience.

I'm O negative so in high demand but I've had to ask them to stop repeatedly calling me because 9/10 they want me to drive to donate and with the best will in the world I am not fit to drive after donating blood for a couple of hours.

Oh...so you don't then...

Don't what?

I used to audit our blood stock.

@claudiawinklemansfringetrimmer This is disgraceful and medically very dubious. Why some people go into nursing I will never understand. I’m really sorry that happened to you 💐

Same, I'm.always being texted or called to say that there's a super urgent need and then they offer me the next available appointment which is in 5 months' time. I find the website incredibly difficult to log in to and navigate as well if i need to change the appointment. I used to work literally next to a big donation centre and in theory they had drop ins for 2 hours a week but in practice never did, also they closed for lunch and worked 830 til 4 when the standard hours on site were 830 to 430.

I've got to assume that drop ins are harder to staff or not as popular as we think, but I feel frustrated struggling so much to donate.

I agree, it used to be easy. Now getting an appointment seems to be a bit like some kind of endurance test..

I have the same with AB+

I used to donate when they came to our work. Then that stopped but I could get to a session near work in my lunch break or just after work. Then that stopped. The sessions near home clashed with work so I couldn't get to them.Now that isn't an issue I'm over 65 so can't donate.

Used to be easier to give blood could just drop in to the main centre in town, now you have to book ahead and it does feel somewhat trickier