Donate Breaks

Finding time to give blood isn't always easy, especially when you're juggling work and everyday commitments. But what if your employer could make it easier for you and your colleagues to donate?

A survey by NHS Blood and Transplant in late 2024 found that 43% of donors would be more likely to give blood if their employer gave them time off to do so. With 28 permanent donor centres close to places of business in towns and cities across England, workplace support could make a real difference.

That's where Donate Breaks comes in.

Donate Breaks is an initiative encouraging employers to give their staff time to donate blood during working hours. For donors, that support can make all the difference.

Whether it's paid time to attend an appointment, information about nearby donor centres or the chance to book alongside colleagues, small changes at work can make giving blood easier.

Over the past two years, NHS Blood and Transplant's Partnerships team has worked with 131 major employers across the public and private sectors. So far, 35 employers have introduced policies that directly enable employees to give blood during working hours.

Through these partnerships, around 1.4 million employees are now regularly encouraged to give blood, making it easier for more people to fit donation into their working lives.

It's not just blood donation that workplaces can support, either. Employers are also helping their staff in taking another important step: recording their organ donation decision.

Most people support organ donation and would accept an organ if they or someone they loved needed one. Yet many people still haven't recorded their own decision.

Taking just a few minutes to register a decision on the NHS Organ Donor Register can make a lifesaving difference. NHS Blood and Transplant is encouraging employers to give colleagues a little time to consider their options, talk with loved ones and record their decision.

Workplaces bring people together every day. Could yours support blood and organ donation?

To find out more, check your workplace policy or ask your HR team. If your employer doesn't already offer support to donate, you could help start the conversation.

Get in touch with NHS Blood and Transplant's Partnerships team at partnerships@nhsbt.nhs.uk to find out how your workplace could get involved.