In most cases, blood donation is a relatively straightforward process.
Find your nearest centre
Blood donor sessions take place all over the country throughout the year. NHS Blood and Transplant holds more than 26,000 blood donation sessions a year across England and North Wales.
To find your nearest blood donation centre, call NHS Blood and Transplant free on 0300 123 23 23. You can make an appointment for a date and time convenient for you.
Alternatively, visit the NHS Blood and Transplant, where you can search for your nearest centre. You can also book an appointment to give blood using the online form.
It is recommended that men only donate blood every 12 weeks and women only donate every 16 weeks (four months). The minimum period between donations is 12 weeks, unless you have a condition called haemachromatosis, in which case a shorter interval may be allowed.
If you have never given blood before, you can register as a blood donor on the NHS Blood and Transplant.
Before donating blood
Before donating blood, make sure 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.
Suitability checks
When you arrive at the donation centre to donate blood, you will be given some information to read. It is important you read this information because it will explain the procedure and help ensure you are suitable to give blood.
After reading the information, you will be asked to fill in a confidential donor health check form. You will be asked a number of questions about your health and lifestyle. It is very important you answer the questions honestly and accurately to ensure 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.
Read more about who can give blood donations.
Anaemia check
Once you have completed your donor health check form, a droplet of blood will be taken from your finger tip to check how much haemoglobin it contains.
Haemoglobin is a substance 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. The most common type of anaemia is sometimes known as iron deficiency anaemia.
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.
Read more about iron deficiency anaemia.
Donating blood
Once you have passed all necessary health checks, you will be able to donate blood. It usually takes 10 to 15 minutes for your blood donation 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.
Your arm will be cleaned and a sterile needle inserted into a vein in your arm that is held in place with tape.
You will barely feel the needle. 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 around 10% 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 donation session
You can find out what happens at a blood donor session using the virtual session provided by NHS Blood and Transplant. 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 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 one in four people)
- a sore arm (which affects around one in 10 people)
- dizziness and fainting (which affects around one in 15 people)
More serious after effects that require medical treatment are rare, occurring in less than one in every 3,500 cases.
If you become unwell within two weeks of your donation, call the NHS Blood and Transplant on 0300 123 23 23. This is very important as it may mean you had an infection, such as gastroenteritis, when you donated blood and your donation could put the person who receives your blood at risk. 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.
