NHS Blood and Transplant donate bloodmobile to Antigua and Barbuda Ministry of Health

23 November 2016

On Wednesday 23 November NHS Blood and Transplant will donate a decommissioned bloodmobile to Antigua and Barbuda. This bloodmobile will be used to help enable the countries to establish a national blood transfusion service on the Islands.

Ian Trenholm, CEO of NHS Blood and Transplant will welcome the Hon. Molwyn Joseph, Minister of Health and the Environment, Her Excellency Karen-Mae Hill, High Commissioner Antigua & Barbuda, Dr Joycelyn Walters-Thomas, Ministry of Health and Dr Albert Duncan, Medical Director to the West End Donor Centre, Margaret Street, London for the official handover.

The guests will participate in a tour of the donor centre to see how a fixed site blood donation session works, as well as a tour of the new bloodmobile that they will soon be using to collect blood in their own local sessions.

Following the event the three bed bloodmobile will leave London and be on its way to Antigua where it will be based at the Ministry of Health premises from January 2017. The vehicle will be operational seven days a week. This will make a substantial difference to blood donation in Antigua and Barbuda as blood is usually collected on an ‘as needed’ basis with family members coming forward to donate.

This is the second vehicle that NHS Blood and Transplant have donated to a Caribbean country. The first bloodmobile donation was to Jamaica in 2015 and this marked the start of an innovative partnership between NHS Blood and Transplant and RAFFA, a diaspora-led charity that brings together governments and local volunteers to help develop healthcare in a number of African and Caribbean countries.

In England, we hope that by holding blood donation sessions at larger venues, rather than a three bed bloodmobile, we can deliver better value for the NHS. We can also offer more appointments and generally have more space.

Her Excellency Karen-Mae Hill, High Commissioner Antigua & Barbuda said:

“It’s a pleasure to be here representing Antigua and Barbuda at this event. I’m really looking forward to seeing the difference that this bloodmobile can make to the way we collect blood on the islands.

“As High Commissioner, I am very keen to work closely with the Caribbean diaspora in the UK to help ensure that we are making positive contributions to both British and Antiguan and Barbuda society. One area I am really keen on supporting is health and it is interesting to hear about the challenges that NHS Blood and Transplant face with recruiting more blood donors from Caribbean backgrounds. Working closely with RAFFA I have been speaking to many people about the importance of blood donation both here and abroad in the hope that more people will get involved in "Every Caribbean Donor Matters" and decide to become blood donors and help save lives.

 "Ian Trenholm, CEO at NHS Blood and Transplant said:

“Our aim is to save and improve lives here in the UK. I am delighted to be able to work with the Health Service in Antigua and Barbuda to carry on that mission. This bloodmobile has helped save many lives here and I hope that it will go on to do the same in the Caribbean. I hope this partnership also gets people talking about how important it is for black people, both in the UK and in the Caribbean, to give blood.”

This year, RAFFA are leading on a campaign called “Every Caribbean Donor Matters” a continuation from the previous “One Love, One Blood, Saves Lives” campaign in order to help raise awareness of the need for more blood donors of Caribbean heritage in London and across England. RAFFA attend local community events, carnivals and visit Churches encouraging people from the Caribbean community to register and give blood.

Only 1 per cent of people who donated blood in England during the last year were from black communities. Donors from these communities are more likely to have rare blood types which can help treat conditions such as Sickle Cell Disease, which may require regular blood transfusions. For people with these conditions, blood from donors of the same ethnic background can provide the best chance of a match and therefore the best clinical outcome.

Every blood donation can save or improve up to three lives and each day NHS Blood and Transplant needs around 6,000 donors to give blood at sessions across England to meet patient need. While donors from all blood groups are important we particularly need donors from O negative (the universal blood group), A negative and B negative to donate regularly as our stocks of these blood groups are more vulnerable to shortfalls. We need more black African, black Caribbean, mixed race and South Asian people to become blood donors to reflect the ethnic diversity of patients.

To find out more, register to become a new blood donor or book an appointment visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23. You can also use our app to find and book sessions, search 'NHSGiveBlood'.

Ends

  • For additional information please contact the NHS Blood and Transplant press office on 01923 367600 or via pressoffice@nhsbt.nhs.uk
  • For out of hours enquiries please call: 0117 969 2444

Notes to editors

  • NHS Blood and Transplant is a joint England and Wales Special Health Authority. We are responsible for ensuring a safe and efficient supply of blood and associated services to the NHS in England. We are also the organ donation organisation for the UK and are responsible for matching and allocating donated organs.
  • We are an essential part of the NHS and take pride in saving and improving lives by making the most of every voluntary donation, from blood and organs to tissues and stem cells.
  • Our work would not be possible without our donors - ordinary people doing extraordinary things by saving and improving the lives of others.
  • To find out more visit: www.nhsbt.nhs.uk
  • Blood donors can search for sessions, book appointments, change/cancel their appointments and change their contact details in real time at www.blood.co.uk
  • There are apps available for Android, Windows and Apple Smartphone and tablet devices which enable donors to search for sessions based on their location and book and manage appointments.
  • Our donor line - 0300 123 23 23 - is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with all calls charged at the standard local rate, even from mobile phones
  • NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.6 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England. It’s important that we collect the right amount of each blood group at the right time to meet patient needs.
  • There are four main blood groups – O, A, B and AB. Group O is the most common and therefore the most in demand. A regular supply of blood is vital – red cells last 35 days and platelets only 7 days
  • The overall demand for blood is falling by 3-4% per year. This is due to improvements in clinical practice and is a trend that is being seen around the world. The drop in demand for blood is also thanks to our work with hospitals to ensure blood is used appropriately for patients.
  • We need just under 200,000 new blood donors each year to replace those who no longer donate for reasons such as ill health, pregnancy or foreign travel and to ensure we have the right mix of blood groups to match patient needs in the future
  • Some blood groups, such as O negative (the universal blood group), A negative and B negative are particularly vulnerable to shortfalls. So we want people with those blood groups to donate as regularly as they can. We also need more black African, black Caribbean, mixed race and South Asian people to become blood donors to reflect the ethnic diversity of patients
  • Female whole blood donors can give blood every 16 weeks, while male blood donors must wait 12 weeks between donations. Platelets can be donated every 2 weeks.