Brighton’s first permanent blood donor centre to open this month

Appointments are now available to book at Brighton's first permanent blood donor centre, which will open in September.

Located at 1 Gloucester Place, the centre can be found between Brighton Train Station and Palace Pier. It is less than a 10-minute walk from the station.

The centre will be open 7 days a week, with 1,100 appointments available to book each week. It will have 6 donor chairs to collect whole blood.

Brighton Donor Centre is one of 3 permanent centres opened by the NHS over the last 9 months to increase blood stocks and donor numbers across the country.

Students are estimated to make up 14% of Brighton’s population – significantly higher than the average across England, where students make up approximately 4% of the total population.

With many of these students aged between 19 to 22, the NHS is keen to encourage students and young people to book in and become the next generation of blood donors.

1 in 10 Brighton residents also identify with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual. Since 2021, more Gay and Bisexual men have become eligible to donate following the introduction of the FAIR guidelines, and the NHS is keen to raise awareness of this change.

Donor eligibility is now based on individual behaviours instead of previous blanket restrictions based on gender and sexual orientation.

There remains an ongoing need for more donors of Black heritage to help patients with sickle cell, who need ethnically matched blood. Having a diverse blood donor base helps to ensure the right mix of blood groups to meet demand.

Brighton Clinical Donor Centre Manager, Clare Carman said:

"We're asking Brighton residents to make an appointment at the new donor centre to give blood and help save lives.  

"From September, our new centre has capacity for 1,100 appointments a week, so I urge all potential donors to sign-up today. We need a steady supply of donations, so even if your appointment is a few months off, your blood will still save lives then. 

"The entire donation process takes just an hour. Each donation can save up to three lives, so every person who comes forward will help us save even more lives across the country." 

How you can help

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