Chiswick Blood Donor Urges Locals to Support New Centre

Campaign to persuade more people to donate particularly those with rare blood groups

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A Chiswick resident was one of the first donors at the newly modernised Blood Donation centre in the West End, as a campaign starts to encourage more people to give blood. Fewer than 1 per cent of Londoners donate blood, less than the UK average.

40-year-old Jiten Patel, was inspired to become a donor following a family medical crisis.

He said,“I donate a few times irregularly, then my wife needed emergency transfusions when she had a serious haemorrhage during a caesarean section. Since then, I donate more regularly.”

NHS Blood and Transplant has completed an expansion and refurbishment of the West End Donor Centre, the biggest blood donor centre in England, in time for its reopening on Christmas Eve. The donor centre has been transformed as the centrepiece of a five-year strategy to increase blood donation in the capital. Currently, only 0.92% of Londoners give blood, which means Londoners are 38% less likely to be a donor than the English average.

NHS Blood and Transplant is making the investment mainly because of the rapid rise in cases of the rare blood disorder sickle cell disease. Many sickle patients need Ro group blood. Over the past three years, there has been an 80% increase in requests for Ro to NHSBT’s London blood stock units.

The West End Donor Centre refurbishment, which took three months, saw the centre being modernised to make it brighter and more comfortable for donors with an increase in the number of donation chairs from six to nine, creating 20,000 more chances to donate a year.

Appointments are also being added at mobile sessions and at the Tooting donor centre. By June 2019, the number of blood donation appointments available across London will have increased by around a third. By 2021, there will be around 100,000 more blood donation appointments than in 2018.

NHS Blood and Transplant needs new young donors to fill the appointments, especially new black donors. Black people are more likely to have sickle cell disease and more likely to have the blood groups sickle cell patients need for their treatment. Around 45% of all potential Ro blood donors in the country live in London.

The new West End Donor Centre is the highlight of the expansion and has been refurbished to be bright and modern to appeal to young donors. The centre will provide a comfortable donation experience with free Wi-Fi and plug sockets for people to charge their phones.

Sandra Sowerby, West End Donor Centre Manager, said: “We need new donors to come forward from all the different blood groups but there is a particular need in London for new black donors because they are more likely to have the rarer blood groups that sickle cell patients need.

“Giving blood is simple and easy to do. The donation itself takes 5-10 minutes and each donation can save or improve up to three lives. It’s lovely to be able to reopen in time for Christmas – giving blood is an amazing gift. The centre is bright and modern but there’s still free tea, coffee and biscuits for donors.

December 30, 2018


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