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21 January 2026

International experts advise on action to support more families to say yes to organ donation

As consent rates for organ donation continue to fall year on year, a new report published today calls for bold action to support more families to agree to donate their loved ones’ organs so more lives can be saved.

19 January 2026

Largest ever trial of interventions for blood donor vasovagal reactions (feeling faint and fainting) shows no benefit from four additional interventions

The STRategies to Improve Donor ExperienceS (STRIDES) study took place between 2019 and 2022, with results now available in a medical journal

16 January 2026

NHSBT is collecting and storing the white blood cells used in a pioneering 'sci-fi' drug

The BBC this week reported on some of the first patients receiving the treatment, with one happy man describing it as 'very sci-fi'

15 January 2026

First NHS organ donation flight and organ retrieval in Gibraltar

For the first time, an NHS organ donation has been carried out in Gibraltar.

12 January 2026

NHS issues 1000th unit of baby umbilical cord blood for stem cell transplants

The NHS has now reached the milestone of issuing 1000 donations of newborn babies’ umbilical cord blood for stem cell transplants.

29 December 2025

10 ‘superdonors’ in England have made dedicated blood, plasma, platelet and stem cell donations through the NHS

10 people in England have made dedicated donations of every blood component through the NHS. They've also all registered as potential organ donors on the Organ Donor Register.

28 November 2025

NHSBT’s Dr Su Brailsford appointed chair of a safety committee at the Department of Health and Social Care.

NHSBT’s Dr Su Brailsford has been appointed chair of the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) Advisory Committee at the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

27 November 2025

New NHS Blood and Transplant Chief Executive announced

Experienced NHS leader, Frances O’Callaghan, will be the new Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant. She is expected to take up the role on 1 February 2026.

27 November 2025

Ethnic minority organ donations increase despite a drop in the number of transplants

Organ donation among people from ethnic minority backgrounds increased last year, but the number of people from these communities' receiving transplants fell slightly.

26 November 2025

NHSBT played a key role in an ‘astonishing’ new gene therapy

Our Manchester Therapeutic Apheresis services team collected the stem cells used to treat Hunter Syndrome in 3 year-old Oliver Chu.

21 November 2025

‘Revolutionary’ donation technique enabling more, better functioning, abdominal transplants, rolling out across UK

A technique to keep donor organs oxygenated will be rolled out across the UK, enabling more transplants and enabling transplants to keep working for longer.

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