People are being urged to sign up and give an important gift this Christmas – a donation of blood to the NHS.
There are currently appointments available at the 25 permanent blood donor centres across England.
Health bosses have launched an appeal to make sure every appointment is filled by existing registered blood donors.
Health Minister Andrea Leadsom said: “Christmas is a time for families and friends to get together but also a time to help others, and what better way than to save a life.
“Giving blood is giving life to a stranger and by booking and keeping an appointment, blood donors are able to do something really special.
“So I urge people to spare just a small amount of time to make a big difference.”
Health minister, Andrea Leadsom. File pic
Existing donors are being asked to come forward and book an appointment via Blood.co.uk.
People who have registered as a donor but have not yet made an appointment to give blood are also encouraged to take that next step and make their first donation.
New donors are being asked to sign up in the new year.
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Between 19 December last year and 8 January this year, 73,465 units of blood were collected and 74,467 were issued to hospitals.
NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.45 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England.
On average, 4,300 blood donations are required every day to cope with demand from hospitals and 140,000 new donors will be needed next year.
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Source: news.sky.com
This notice was published: 2023-12-19 14:31:00
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