Fall in younger blood donors

The number of young people who donate blood has fallen by 20 per cent in the past decade, new figures show.

Only 14 per cent of regular blood donors are under the age of thirty, while more than two thirds are over the age of forty, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

In 2001, there were 297,539 blood donors aged between 17 to 34, compared with 237,520 of the same age now.

A poll of more than 1,700 people across the country and 1,000 current NHSBT donors reveals a worrying trend that not enough young people are becoming regular blood donors, claiming they are too busy, do not know what is involved or are put off by the thought of donating blood.

One in 10 young people aged 18-24 who were surveyed said their lives were too busy to give blood, yet 72 per cent said they thought everyone who met the blood donation criteria should give blood.

More than a third of young non-donors said they never donated blood because they are scared of needles, while 14 per cent said they didn't know where to go to donate.

NHSBT figures indicate that just four per cent of the eligible population currently donate blood in the UK, but more than a third of people know someone who has received a blood transfusion.

In order to meet demand, the NHS needs 7,000 units of donated blood every day, the NHSBT said, as it urged people to sign up to be donors.

Jon Latham, assistant director of blood donation at NHSBT, said: “As well as it being National Blood Week, globally today is World Blood Donor Day and we’re using these occasions to call on 10,000 new donors to make a date to donate this year.

We want to remind everyone that blood donation is one of the simplest ways you can save or improve a life - just one unit of blood can save the life of three adults or seven babies, and you can start donating from the age of 17."

More information

Tel 0300 123 2323 or book online www.blood.co.uk.

This article was published on Tue 14 June 2011