How YOU can save a life this weekend
...and you won't need a cape or super powers to do it!
If there’s one thing that the pandemic has taught us, it’s that our health is more fragile than we realise.
This week saw World Blood Donor Day - raising awareness of the need for safe blood and blood products.
The pandemic more than halved the number of new donors in Northern Ireland, but the demand for blood has never been higher. That's why the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion service is calling for people to come forward.
Blood donation is a vitally important part of health care. And whilst you might not think giving 90 minutes of your time to donate would make a difference, it could actually be helping to save more than one life.
There are no substitutes for blood, platelets or plasma—they cannot be manufactured. Patients in need of blood or blood products must rely on donations from people like you.
An hour and a half, one donation, multiple lives.
Can I give blood?
The rules around who can give blood in Northern Ireland changed last year.
The changes mean a large number of people who were not able to donate blood before are now eligible to do so.
You can find out if you're eligible in just a few minutes by taking NIBTS Eligibility Questionnaire.
How do I become a donor?
You can enrol as a blood donor in a few ways.
You can enrol now by clicking here.
Alternatively you can text BLOOD to 60081.
You can also drop in at any blood donor session.
If you prefer you can also contact NIBTS on 028 9032 1414.
Once your personal details have been taken you will be registered on NIBTS' computer system, PULSE.
If you have presented to a donor session a donation may be taken on the 1st visit if you complete the HealthCheck questionnaire and satisfy the relevant donor screening procedure.
If you have enrolled on line/via text/by phone, you will be mailed out information regarding details of when and where you can donate. Along with this you will also receive the HealthCheck questionnaire and be asked to complete the relevant sections before coming along to the donation session.
Where can I give blood?
Whole blood can be donated at NITBS sessions held across Northern Ireland.
This includes:
Click here to see upcoming donor sessions in your area.
What happens when I go to give blood?
Your details will firstly be taken. You will then be asked to read the Donor Blood Safety information leaflet and complete the donor HealthCheck Questionnaire (if you were invited to donate by mail you should have already completed the 1st 3 sections of the questionnaire).
If you are a new donor, or a returning donor (last donated over 2 years ago), you will also have a brief chat with a nurse. Provided the information from the questionnaire is satisfactory, your haemoglobin will then be tested. This is done by taking a small sample of blood from your finger. Your donation will then be taken provided your haemoglobin is at least 125 g/l if you are a woman and at least 135 g/l if you are a man.
After donating you'll take a short rest, have a drink, and some biscuits.
The whole process takes less than an hour and a half.