National Blood Week: campaign to find more than 10,000 new blood donors needed in Manchester to meet demand

Manchester needs 10,000 more blood donors to come forward to meet demand over the next year.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has revealed the shocking statistic at the beginning of National Blood Week.

There is a particular need for young people and those from Black African and Black Caribbean communities to become donors, health chiefs have said.

One Manchester teenager who requires regular blood transfusions has spoken about the importance of blood donation for him.

How many blood donors in Manchester are needed?

New targets revealed by NHS Blood and Transplant show that 10,178 new donors are needed in the Manchester area to save lives over the next year.

The five-year Blood Service Strategy, published at the start of National Blood Week, sets ambitious plans to recruit up to a million new donors across the country and double the number of regular donors with the rarest blood types.

There is a particular urgency for more donors of Black African and Black Caribbean ethnicity to treat people with sickle cell, the fastest-growing genetic blood disorder in the UK which mainly affects Black people.

It requires regular transfusions, most often with the specific blood subtype R_o which 55% of Black donors have compared to 2.4% of people giving blood from other ethnicities.

NHS chiefs say younger donors are needed in Manchester as well.

A mass public campaign is being held this National Blood Week and throughout June to identify people with the most-needed blood types.

Young people and those of Black African or Black Caribbean heritage are being urged by the NHS to find out their blood type, by making their first donation at a session for giving blood.

How do I give blood?

People can sign up to become a blood donor at the Give Blood website here or on the GiveBloodNHS app.

You can also call the blood donation service on 0300 123 23 23.

The website also has details of where donation sessions are being held and allows you to book them. Existing donors who haven’t given blood for a while are being urged to check the site and think about finding a session and booking an appointment.

Blood donation generally takes up to an hour.

Once donated, blood is taken to NHSBT laboratories where it is divided into platelets, which help to stop bleeding, red cells which can be used to treat a vast range of conditions, and plasma which can stop blood loss in trauma patients or be made into medicine for patients with weak immune systems.

The NHSBT has two permanent donor centres in Manchester, at Plymouth Grove and Norfolk House, and mobile teams also collect blood at community venues such as church halls or public buildings.

What has been said about the drive to recruit new blood donors?

Stephen Cornes, director of blood supply at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Currently we can only meet around half of the demand for R_o blood through our existing donor base and demand for this rare blood type is rising.

“This means many sickle cell patients often receive less well-matched blood which, while clinically suitable, can pose a longer-term risk to patients who receive regular transfusions.

“We urgently need new Black African and Black Caribbean donors to come forward and donate blood.

“In addition to the rarest blood types, we also need one million new donors over the next five years of all blood types. As the NHS treats more patients, we need to grow the total number of donors too.

“We carefully manage stocks to ensure we do not waste any precious blood. If you cannot get an appointment immediately it is because we have enough of your blood type right now. Please book for a later date or respond when we contact you.”

‘I feel very thankful and grateful for blood donors’

One sickle cell patient who knows the value of blood donations is 17-year-old Charming Seyi-Abiodun, from Gorton.

He was diagnosed with sickle cell at birth and had his first painful episode, known as a crisis, when he was 22 months old.

When he was five he began experiencing more crises and doctors were concerned about his increasing risk of a stroke.

Charming started blood transfusions at the age of seven to help treat and prevent the painful symptoms and complications. He now has red cell exchanges every month which help him to lead a normal life.

Charming, who is studying for a BTEC in engineering at Hopwood Hall College in Middleton, said: “Every day was a struggle. The fatigue, the aches and pains - it felt like my joints were rusting up.

“Now, after a blood exchange I feel good. When I am closer to my next transfusion due date I start to get tired again.

“The blood donated has helped me to feel better every day - I am running and playing with my friends so I feel very thankful and grateful for blood donors.”