Getting an appointment to give blood or plasma
See the different ways you can book an appointment to donate and check our tips on finding an appointment time and date that suits you.
How to book an appointment
The easiest way to book an appointment to give blood or plasma is using your online account or the NHS Give Blood App.
Download the NHS Give Blood App for Android or Apple from:
If you can’t find an appointment straight away, don't worry. We will still need your help in the future so please book in the weeks or months to come.
Other ways to book
You can also book an appointment to donate by calling the donor helpline on 0300 123 23 23.
If you already give plasma, you can book an appointment at your donation centre next time you attend.
Tips on getting an appointment
Having trouble finding an appointment? Here's some tips on getting an appointment time and date that suits you.
Use our app
It’s easy to see appointments and manage your bookings using the NHS Give Blood app.
Try booking your next appointment while you donate to make sure you get the appointment you want.
Check last minute
If you have a specific day you’d like to donate and don’t have an appointment, please look again later as other appointments may become available closer to the day.
Log in to your online account or use the app to check for last-minute appointments.
Book ahead
If you can't find an appointment straight away, book in the weeks or months ahead - we will still need your help in the future.
The further in advance you book, the more choice you’ll have over dates, times and locations.
We’ll remind you when your appointment is coming up and you can rearrange it if your plans change.
Try a new location
We collect blood at 25 permanent donation centres in major towns and cities. These centres are often open at evenings and weekends and have more appointments available than donation sessions in other venues.
Permanent donor centres are highlighted when you search for an appointment online or using the NHS Give Blood app.
Book multiple appointments
If you donate plasma, you can book multiple appointments in advance.
This means you can pick times that work best for you and easily make plasma donation part of your routine.
Did you know?
You can donate plasma or platelets more often than blood - up to every 2 weeks if you would like.
Make plasma or platelet donation part of your routine and get to your next donation milestone even faster.
Why appointments aren't always available
There are 8 main blood types, but hospitals need different amounts of blood for each type.
Donations we collect also have a limited shelf life, so we avoid waste by only collecting the amount we need.
To make sure we collect the right amount of each type, there are different numbers of appointments for different donors.
Things that affect when you'll get an appointment
There are a number of reasons that affect when you can find an appointment, including:
Changes in stock levels
Blood and plasma have different shelf lives.
- blood can be stored for up to 35 days
- plasma can be stored for up to 3 years
We only collect what we need to avoid wasting any donations.
Donating for the first time
Sometimes we have more appointments available for regular donors.
This is because we know their blood type, which helps us collect the right amount of each blood type to meet demand.
Your blood type
There are more blood donation appointments for donors with blood types that people often need, such as O negative.
On the other hand, there are fewer appointments for blood types where demand is lower, such as AB positive.