Brighton blood donor centre now open and calling for more donors to come forward

Brighton’s first permanent blood donor centre is now open with 1,100 appointments available to book each week.

A ceremony today (16 October) marks the recent opening of the centre, with a ribbon being cut by the Mayor of Brighton and Hove, Amanda Grimshaw, and Chief Executive Officer for NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), Caroline Walker. They are meeting with local resident Amy Herbert and Brighton Cabinet Member Cllr Mitchie Alexander, both of whose lives were saved by blood transfusions.

Milestone O negative donor Mo Parker is giving her 80th whole blood donation at the celebration, which is being supported by attendees from Brighton and Hove Council as well as Brighton Pavilion constituency's MP Sian Berry and MPs for neighbouring Brighton constituencies.

Brighton donor centre

Exterior photo of the Brighton donor centre, showing colourful graphics in the window with the phrase "Save up to 3 lives in 1 hour" Brighton Blood Donor Centre is 1 of 3 permanent centres opened by the NHS over the last 10 months as part of NHSBT’s strategy to increase blood stocks and donor numbers across England. The NHS urgently needs more donors of Black heritage and those with O negative and B negative blood types, and is particularly calling on these donors to book in.

There are 17,871 people in Brighton that have registered to give blood but are yet to donate. This is the third highest number of any local authority in England.

More young people are also needed to become the next generation of blood donors. Students are estimated to make up 14% of Brighton’s population, significantly higher than the average across England, where they make up approximately 4% of the total population.

Currently 22% of all booked appointments at the new centre are people aged 34 or under, compared with a national booking average of 19.3%. This is promising and it is hoped that the centre will increasingly continue to attract young donors with a lifetime of donating ahead of them.

Following the introduction of the FAIR guidelines in 2021, many more men who have sex with men are eligible to donate blood. With 1 in 10 Brighton residents identifying with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual, NHSBT wants to raise awareness of this change and encourage LGBT+ individuals to consider donating.

The donor centre's colourful exterior was designed by Brighton-based artist Lois O'Hara, who finds that the sea helps her own wellbeing and mindset. Lois's work explores themes of mindfulness and positivity, and her artwork at Brighton Donor Centre is designed to encourage people to step inside and feel calm throughout their visit.

It also features consultation rooms named after local landmarks that were chosen by staff, including Royal Pavilion and Palace Pier.

One person attending today's launch is Mitchie Alexander, Brighton Council's Cabinet Member for Communities, Equalities, Public Health and Adult Social Care.

Mitchie received a high number of blood products during her treatment for Acute Myeloid Leukaemia in 2006-2008, and again, during a recent heart surgery this summer.

Mitchie said:

"I was really pleased to hear Brighton's new blood donor centre is now open. My own lived experience is that I am here today because I was able to receive blood and platelets during my illness.

"I had really low levels of platelets during the treatment, so I received bags of platelets daily at some points. Without the platelets, I could have had an internal bleed – I don't see how I could have survived without blood products."

"To know there is a centre local to where I live and work that I can encourage people to donate at, is a really good thing."

Amy's story

Amy, holding baby Issy "I was really happy when it was mentioned there would be a donor centre in Brighton," said Amy Herbert, 40, of Seaford.

Amy knows first hand how lifesaving blood donation can be. In 2010 she was working as a pharmacist at the Royal Sussex County Hospital when she became pregnant with her daughter, Issy.

It was routine for Amy to see patients receiving blood when working on the wards. She was also a blood donor like her parents, and her dad even reached 70 donations.

However, she never expected that she herself might need blood one day. Amy said:

"It's one of those things that probably a lot of people think: 'that's the sort of thing that happens to other people, not me'.

"It didn't cross my mind – especially in the quantity that I ended up needing it."

During Issy's birth, Amy required blood during an emergency C-section. She said: "I was really tired, but had thought it's all on the up, and I felt lucky that we were both OK considering how difficult it had been. Then 2 days after, in the early hours, I began bleeding profusely and I had a morning in and out of surgery."

She experienced a post-partum haemorrhage and was estimated to have lost 11L of blood. Amy was given 28 units of blood products to save her life, alongside further emergency surgeries.

14 years on, Amy now wants to share her gratitude towards the 28 donors who saved her life and encourage others to do the same.

Amy and Issy sitting next to each other on the coast, Amy looking towards Issy with the sea behind them. She said: "I absolutely wouldn’t be here without the generosity of blood donors. There would have been nothing medics could have done to save me without that blood.

"It's really powerful to think what difference that makes. Issy is 14 now, and her whole lifetime I wouldn't have been here for. It does catch you sometimes.

"It isn’t even necessarily the big things like Christmases and weddings; Issy volunteered at the library this summer, and as she was going out the door, she said she might do some crocheting if it was quiet. It's just those little bits from the day that I get to experience because of a whole group of people who never met me.

"I know I'm not saying thank you to the exact people who donated blood to me, but I want to thank people who do it."

Statements

Statement from Caroline Walker

Chief Executive Officer, Caroline Walker, said:

"We are delighted to open this fantastic new donor centre, which will make it possible for even more people in Brighton to become lifesaving blood donors.

"This new permanent donor centre in the heart of the city will be open seven days a week, offering local donors more convenience and choice when booking an appointment.

"The NHS needs over 200,000 new donors every year. We hope the new centre in Brighton will increase the number of donors, so the NHS has the right mix of blood types to meet demand."

Statement from Prof Catherine Urch

Chief Medical Officer at University Hospitals Sussex, Prof Catherine Urch, said:

"I am delighted that a new blood donor centre NHSBT has opened in Brighton.
We are all so aware of the lifesaving quality of blood, and blood products that are generously donated by the public. Many patients don't get the opportunity to say thank you - but we do.

"The new centre will be pivotal in widening the access of people to donate their blood, offering a convenient, comfortable environment with the expert staff. Thank you for the new centre at Brighton, thank you to all the people who have and who will donate to help save lives of our patients."

How you can help

Clinical Donor Centre Manager Clare Carman said:

"We are excited to announce that Brighton Donor Centre is now open for business, and we're asking Brighton residents to make an appointment at the new donor centre to give blood and help save lives.

"We have capacity for 1,100 appointments a week, so I urge all potential donors to sign-up today. The entire donation process takes just an hour, while the donation itself takes around 10 minutes.

"Every local resident who comes forward to donate, can save up to 3 lives with each donation."

The centre is open 7 days a week and is located at 1 Gloucester Place opposite Valley Gardens. It is less than a 10 minute walk from the train station.

Book a blood donation appointment today through our website or call 0300 123 23 23.