Fresh call for new blood donors after 'stark reduction'

People across the Midlands are being urged to donate blood after a "stark reduction" in the number of new donors coming forward.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, 40 per cent fewer new volunteers came forward across England and North Wales to give blood last year compared to a decade ago.

To mark the start of National Blood Week, the organisation says 204,000 new volunteers need to come forward this year to keep the nation's blood stocks at a safe level.

Regular donations are crucial to saving and improving the lives of patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery.

Despite the shortage of blood, thousands more across the region came forward to donate for the first time last year.

However, according to NHS Blood and Transplant, only 24 per 1,000 people in the West Midlands are active donors. In the East Midlands, 26 per 1,000 regularly give blood.

During National Blood Week, NHS Blood and Transplant is working with partners including businesses, media and celebrities such as Jamie Oliver, Jorgie Porter and Claudia Winkleman to promote blood donation. They have been removing the letters A, O and B (the letters that make up the blood groups) from their names, raising awareness of the need for new blood donors with all blood types.

This ‘Missing Type’ campaign highlights that if enough new people do not donate blood and these ‘types’, there won't be enough blood available when patients need it.

Jon Latham, Assistant Director for Donor Services and Marketing at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: