Is our blood donor service in dire straits?

I’M SURPRISED people are having a less-than-happy time donating blood (Letters). I’ve donated 93 times and have always found the staff pleasant and appreciative. Sessions aren’t always one-to-one, but does that matter? It’s the giving that counts. We can make an appointment or just turn up and we never wait long. In Canterbury, we have a large student community, most of whom are happy to wait and donate.

DAVID DODMAN, Canterbury, Kent. linda RUSTON must have been unlucky with her experience of the donor service (letters). You can’t expect one-to-one attention; staff could be preparing another donor. and a qualified ‘venipuncturist’ is required only once per patient per session. at my latest donation, the team were two short and, as was explained to me, you can’t hire agency staff as the training is very different from general nursing, so donors at that session were limited to appointments only.

Don Westcott, Calne, Wilts. I, TOO, was a gold award donor of a rare blood group, but changes made by Kent blood transfusion service, requiring appointments, made it virtually impossible for me to donate. When I complained, I was told it was up to me to fit in with its system — or not bother. Knowing there are at least 33 per cent no-shows with appointments, this is clearly aimed at reducing workload and giving staff an easy life. The real problem is the

discouragement of long-standing donors — and it’s now coming home to roost.

name and address supplied. Accepting blood from drug addicts and other high-risk groups without screening checks was bound to end in the contamination of many recipients. i caught hepatitis C in a blood transfusion in 1986 and asked if it was OK for my wife, a state registered nurse, to continue to donate blood, as hepatitis C can be transmitted through sexual contact. We were told she could continue to donate, but she decided to stop for safety reasons. i was paid a ‘compassion’ payment for being infected, but was never offered any help or advice. EDWARD PRIESTLEY, Brighouse, West Yorks.