In a major move to tackle the ongoing blood shortage in England, leading commercial organisations, ranging from The Co-operative Bank, ITV (office-based colleagues), Hargreaves Lansdown, Gatenby Sanderson through to Basketball England, Millwall FC and Alton Towers Resort, have pledged to give employees ‘Donate Breaks’ – dedicated time off to donate blood during their working day.
With a critical need to boost blood stocks, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is urging more companies to do the same and help save more lives this winter.
The new Donate Breaks initiative will be formally launched with an event at Alton Towers on Friday 18th October, where a team from NHS Blood and Transplant will be on hand to register and test the blood types of both staff and visitors to the park.
A new survey of more than 3,000 blood donors, carried out by NHS Blood and Transplant, shows 43 per cent of donors would be more likely to donate blood if given time off to do so by their employer. This rises to 65 per cent for those aged between 25-44.
NHS Blood and Transplant issued an Amber Alert in July, which remains in place, due to a severe shortage of O negative blood triggered by a cyber-attack which impacted London hospitals earlier this year. The attack meant major London hospitals couldn’t cross match blood so the hospitals could only use O negative, which is used in emergencies and can be safely given to any patient when their blood type is not known.
The cross-matching system was not restored until the end of September so the impact on blood stocks has been long lasting and threatens to cause further shortages this winter unless more O negative and Black heritage donors are found.
More donors of Black heritage are particularly needed because a sub-type known as “Ro” is increasingly needed to treat people with sickle cell. Currently less than 2% of blood donors have Ro blood, but around 55 per cent of people of Black Caribbean and Black African heritage have this much needed blood type. The NHS currently only has enough donors to supply half the amount of blood hospitals need to treat sickle cell. The rest needs to be substituted with O negative.
Dr Jo Farrar, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, the blood service in England, said:
“Thank you to these leading businesses who have signed up to help the NHS. Their commitment sets a powerful example of how businesses can play a crucial role in supporting public health and fostering a culture of giving within their organisations.
“We have an urgent need this autumn and winter to find more O negative and Black heritage donors to stop national blood stocks falling. If you know you are O negative or Ro blood type please book an appointment. If you’ve never given blood before, please book in to one of our donor centres this autumn to see if you’re one of these special types.
“Giving blood is quick and easy and should take less than an hour of your time. Please go to blood.co.uk or call 0300 303 2096 to book an appointment now.”
Minister for Patient Safety, Baroness Merron, said:
“Registering to donate blood is a simple yet powerful way to save lives, and I am delighted that so many businesses are stepping up to support their employees to give blood.
“The NHS is in urgent need of O negative blood and we call on donors to come forward and help.”
Employees taking part in the ‘Donate Breaks’ initiative will be granted designated time off during their workday to donate blood. Companies will urge employees to book morning and afternoon weekday appointments at their nearest town or city centre blood donation centres.
With each successful blood donation saving up to three lives, businesses will also be able to track the number of lives their team have helped to save.
Catherine Douglas, Chief People Officer at The Co-operative Bank welcomed the initiative, saying:
“Giving blood is a vital public duty and one that The Co-operative Bank are wholeheartedly passionate about. Offering opportunities for colleagues to volunteer their time and give back to society can help boost morale and their own sense of wellbeing too.”
Bianca Sammut, Divisional Director at Alton Towers Resort, who will be encouraging visitors as well as staff to support donation, said:
“At Alton Towers Resort we entertain countless millions of visitors a year through our stand-out attractions.
“We’re immensely proud to announce our new partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant to help them drive donations as blood supplies run critically low.
“We look forward to encouraging as many guests and colleagues as possible to find out their blood type and start saving lives.”
Other businesses are encouraged to join this initiative and support the NHS this Autumn and winter by encouraging staff to become blood donors and adopting the ‘Donate Breaks’ initiative. For more information on how to get involved, visit: www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/support-us
If your employer already gives you time off to donate, please share your story and donation photos, with @GiveBloodNHS and #DonateBreaks
To register or book an appointment to give blood, please visit: www.blood.co.uk, use the GiveBlood app or call 0300 123 23 23