Urgent plea for men to give blood

AN desperate plea has been issued for more men to give blood in Birmingham, amid a “serious imbalance” in the gender of new donors.

In 2019 only 45 per cent of new donors in Birmingham were men.

Until the end of November, 1,282 women started donating blood in Birmingham – but only 1,050 men.

The NHS says that this imbalance reflects a national trend.

Men have higher iron levels, and only men’s blood can be used for some transfusions and products.

Without more men starting to give blood, stocks will come under increasing pressure in future years.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is now aiming for 48 per cent of all new donors in Birmingham this year to be male. Mike Stredder head of donor recruitment for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “All our donors are amazing. But we need more men to start donating blood in Birmingham.

“Men’s blood can be used in extraordinary, life-saving ways, but we don’t have enough new male donors coming forward. This is not about recruiting as many donors as possible – it’s about getting the right gender mix.”

“If you can’t find an appointment right away, don’t worry, your blood will do extraordinary things if you donate in a few weeks instead.”

Only men’s blood is used for complete blood transfusions in newborn babies, and also for plasma, which is used for people who have suffered massive blood loss.

NHSBT also gets 93 per cent of its platelets from male donors – they are mostly given to cancer patients to cut internal bleeding. NHSBT say the best place to start donating is Birmingham Donor Centre in New Street.