Find your nearest centre
Blood donor sessions take place all over the country throughout the year. The National Blood Service holds over 23,000 blood donation sessions a year, many of which are held in mobile donation centres.
To find your nearest blood donation centre, call the National Blood Service free on 0300 123 23 23. You can make an appointment for a date and time that are convenient for you.
Alternatively, visit the National Blood Service website, where you can search for your nearest centre. You can also book an appointment to give blood using the online form.
Most people can donate blood every 16 weeks (four months).
If you have never given blood before, you can register as a blood donor on the National Blood Service website.
Before donating blood
Before donating blood, make sure that you eat and drink at least a few hours before your appointment. This will help stop you feeling faint or dizzy after you have given blood. Do not drink alcohol before you give blood.
Important information
When you arrive at the donation centre to donate blood, you will be given some information to read. It is very important that you read this information because it will explain the procedure, and will help ensure that you are suitable to give blood. See Blood donation - who can use it? for information about who can and cannot give blood.
After reading the information, you will be asked to fill in a confidential donor health check form. You will be asked to answer a number of questions about your health and lifestyle. It is very important that you answer the questions honestly and accurately to ensure that the blood you donate is safe to use.
If you are donating blood for the first time, you may also have a confidential discussion with a nurse.
Anaemia check
Once you have completed your donor health check form, a very small blood sample will be taken from your finger tip. Only a droplet of blood is needed. This will be tested to determine how much haemoglobin it contains.
Haemoglobin is a substance that is present in red blood cells. It helps carry oxygen around the body. Anaemia is a condition that occurs when you do not have enough red blood cells, or when the blood cells do not contain enough haemoglobin. Symptoms of anaemia can include:
- tiredness
- lethargy
- shortness of breath
- palpitations (irregular heartbeat)
If your haemoglobin level is very low, giving blood could make you anaemic. If this is the case, you may need to visit your GP before you can give blood.
See the Health A-Z topic about Anaemia - iron deficiency for more information about this condition.
Donating blood
Once you have passed all of the necessary health checks, you will be able to donate blood. It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes for a sample of your blood to be collected.
The donation procedure will usually involve a cuff being placed around your arm. The cuff will be inflated to help make it easier for the healthcare professional to access the veins in your arm.
A sterile needle will be inserted into a vein in your arm and will be held in place with tape.
You will barely feel the needle. Once the needle is in place, a syringe will be used to collect a sample of your blood.
The needle will be used only once and will be discarded after your donation.
During most blood donations, approximately 470ml (just under one pint) of blood will be taken. This amount is only 10-12% of an adult's blood supply, and your body will be able to replace it very quickly.
As long as you are well hydrated after your blood donation, your body will make up the fluid part of the blood within a few hours. It will take just a few weeks for your body to fully replace all of the blood cells.
Virtual session
You can find out what happens at a blood donor session using the virtual session provided by National Blood Service. This takes you through a blood donor session step-by-step.
After donating
After donating blood, you will need to rest for a short while. You will be offered refreshments to stop you feeling faint or dizzy. The whole process of donating blood should not take longer than an hour.
If you smoke, it is recommended that you avoid smoking for two hours after giving blood because smoking could make you feel faint and dizzy.
Donating blood is very safe, although you may experience some mild after effects such as:
- bruising at the site where the blood was taken (which affects around 1 in 4 people)
- a sore arm (which affects around 1 in 10 people)
- dizziness and fainting (which affects around 1 in 15 people)
More serious after effects that require medical treatment are very rare, occurring in less than 1 in every 3,500 cases.
If you become unwell within two weeks of your donation, call the National Blood Service on 0300 123 23 23. Also call this number if you feel persistently faint following your donation.
If you are concerned about your symptoms, you can call NHS Direct on 0845 46 47 for further advice.
