Blood: Call for more BAME donors in Chesterfield

NHS Blood and Transplant says it is quick, easy and safe to donate blood and has called on more people from those groups to help save lives.

An analysis by NHSBT shows that BAME people make up an estimated 8.9 per cent of the population in the catchment area of its Sheffield donor centre, which includes Chesterfield.

But according to its own data, only eight per cent of the 9,454 active donors at the centre at the end of January were BAME.

Some donor centres, such as those in Liverpool and Luton, Bedfordshire saw a higher share of active BAME donors than the proportion living in the area, the analysis shows.

But most saw a shortfall with the widest disparity in London.

Mike Stredder, director of donor experience for NHSBT, said that “more and more black and Asian people are donating blood and saving lives” across the country.

But despite a significant rise in donations in recent years, demand is still outstripping supply.

Mr Stredder added: “We would welcome more black blood donors.

“There is a difference in red blood cell groups between different ethnicities.

“If we give blood from white donors to black recipients, even though we match for the major blood groups, it is more likely minor mismatches can occur and cause reactions.

“Blood donation is quick, easy and safe.

“Join us in saving lives by finding your local donor centre.”

NHSBT is aiming to recruit an extra 5,700 black blood donors next year, which would represent a four per cent increase on current numbers.

The group used population estimates from the Office for National Statistics to work out the proportion of BAME people living in council areas served by its 23 donor centres across England.

It then compared that figure to the proportion of active BAME donors at each centre at the end of January.

Mr Stredder added: “We especially need more people to start donating blood in London, Birmingham and Manchester, and at our donor centres around the country.”