Blood services

Donors and patients are at the heart of our world-class blood service

We provide a safe, accessible and effective blood service for:

donors - providing easier booking systems and thousands of places to donate
patients - ensuring safe and consistent supply of blood
the NHS - providing lower costs to hospitals through improved integration and planning of end-to-end supply chain

Every year we collect two million voluntary blood donations, prepare them for use, and distribute them to hospitals throughout England.

Medicines made from plasma help people with cancers, rare diseases, immune disorders and genetic conditions.

Platelets are collected at our permanent donor centres across England and are used to help people who can't make enough of their own.

Cord blood is rich in stem cells, which can be used to treat many diseases, but it’s usually thrown away after the birth of a baby.

Our goal is to ensure that we supply enough safe blood to meet the needs of patients requiring vital blood transfusions.

These patient services use special technology to exchange, remove or collect certain components within the blood.

Our pioneering research is helping to improve outcomes for patients and donors, and includes a world-first blood donor study.

Improved donor processes mean a more comfortable experience. We also have refurbished, more welcoming fixed donor centres.

Our blood strategy sets out our mission to ensure every patient receives the blood they need, when they need it.

We do not supply blood for overseas nationals or UK nationals abroad, but the Blood Care Foundation can in an emergency, on a case- by-case basis.

Transplantation services

How we help

Becoming a donor