Give Blood England and Wales

Most people can give blood. If you are generally in good heath, age 17 to 65 (if it’s your first time) and weigh at least 7st 12Ib you can donate.

We will be asking you a number of questions, but we promise to get through it all as quickly as possible. Our primary concern is that giving blood won't affect your health in anyway.

Do tell us if you're on any kind of medication. Medicines, pills, injections, anything. Some of these may affect your blood and mean we can't take your donation for now. For more information please call 0300 123 23 23.

Please do, the more the merrier.

Every 16 weeks (that's about every four months).

Only about 470 ml, which is just under a pint. Your body will replace the lost fluid in a very short period of time.

If you're fit and healthy, you shouldn't experience any problems whatsoever.

If you become unwell within two weeks of your donation, or if you believe there's any reason why your blood shouldn't be transfused to a patient, please call us on 0300 123 23 23.

You need to take it easy for a few hours after giving blood, but if you do feel faint or dizzy, sit down immediately and put your head between your knees. Ideally, let someone else know if you're feeling a bit faint. If faintness persists after your donation, don't hesitate to call us on 0300 123 23 23 to let us know and we'll be able to advise you further. For more information on feeling faint click here (PDF, 445K)

Drink lots of liquid before and after you donate, but avoid alcohol. Eat your regular meals and let us know if you've skipped a meal on the day.

It is best that you don't for about two hours after donating, as it might make you feel dizzy or faint.

Yes, however it's unwise to give blood just before undertaking a hazardous hobby or job, such as driving a crane or driving in the emergency services.

Your blood will be taken to one of our many blood centres up and down the country. There the blood will undergo some rigorous tests to make sure it's clear of things like HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.

Once the blood has been sorted into its different types, and all the tests are clear, it's then distributed to hospitals to meet their predicted demand. There your blood is used on whoever needs it most. To view the current blood stock levels click here.

Yes, probably. If you suffer from any symptoms as a result of quitting, we suggest you only give blood once those symptoms have passed. Most patches, nasal sprays and gum do not prevent you from giving blood but bring them along to the session and show the nurse or doctor before donating.

The session medical staff will need to see what medication you are on, so bring it with you. The nurse or doctor may have a quick chat with you about your medication and any underlying condition, but in the vast majority of cases tranquillisers do not stop you from giving blood.

Providing you are otherwise fit and healthy you are still able to give blood and donating will do you no harm. However, if you are awaiting surgery or have recently had surgery this may temporarily exclude you.

The ethnic origin of donors is medically important because it makes it easier for us to find and match blood for recipients with rarer blood groups. Secondly, the Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 means that we have to monitor the accessibility of our services to all communities, including how well we provide opportunities to donate blood. All personal donor information remains confidential, and is seen and used only by our staff and those we work closely with in providing our services. If you prefer not to give us this information, that’s no problem, just tell us and we won’t ask you again.

There is always an infection risk whenever the skin is pierced, and tattooing means lots of piercing. Acupuncturists and other therapists who are members of professional organisations that are approved by us are permitted to issue their clients/patients with certificates showing that the body piercing has been carried out under approved conditions and is free of the risk of infection. As yet, there is no professional organisation that will do this for tattooists. You MUST tell us if you have had an ear piercing, body piercing or tattooing, or have had acupuncture outside of the NHS between 4 and 12 months ago as your donation will need an additional blood test.

You can donate blood however aspirin may affect platelet function so your donation will not be used for preparing platelets. That is why it is always important to let us know if you are taking any over the counter medication regularly.

When you come to give blood the leaflet you are asked to read tells you that occasionally blood that is not needed for transfusion maybe used for research and development work. All such use is carefully controlled, ethically approved where appropriate and no donor is identified.

There is no problem with vegetarians giving blood. The red blood cells, which require iron from the stores in your body, will need to be replaced after the donation. Provided you eat a well-balanced diet you should be able to replenish your iron supply within a month. However, this may take longer because you are a vegetarian.

This step was implemented by all four of the UK Blood Services on 2nd August 2004. It is a further precautionary measure against the possible risk of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD) being transmitted by blood and blood products.

vCJD is thought to be the consequence of eating contaminated beef, related to BSE (or mad cow disease) in UK cattle after 1980. Fortunately, vCJD is very rare. But in late 2003, there was evidence that a blood donor transmitted vCJD to a patient, via transfusion. Scientists are not 100% sure that this is the case, as it is possible that both donor and patient acquired vCJD by eating contaminated beef.

If we couldn’t answer your question here, please complete our online form or call us on 0300 123 23 23