Why give blood

Giving blood saves lives. The blood you give is a lifeline in an emergency and for people who need long-term treatments.

Why do we need you to give blood?

We need new blood donors from all backgrounds to ensure there is the right blood available for patients who need it.

We need:

4,300 blood donations every day on average to meet the needs of our hospitals
over 140,000 people to donate blood for the first time this year
12,000 new Black heritage donors, to meet the growing demand for ethnically matched blood for sickle cell patients who need regular transfusions to stay alive
more young people aged 17-35 to donate, to ensure we have enough blood for the future

Blood types

Information about the most common and rarest blood types and why your blood type is important

Demand for different blood types

Learn about the factors that affect how much of each blood type we need to collect

How your blood is used

Your red blood cells, platelets and plasma can save up to three lives

Who you can help

Inspirational stories from donors and patients whose lives have been transformed by blood transfusions

Want to give blood for the first time?

Information for new donors

Become a blood donor

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