The lifeblood of British altruism

When people donate blood it is a civic‑minded act of charity – and therefore ought to be as easy to do as possible. But now the NHS has thrown a spanner in the works. Health chiefs scrapped the old “bloodmobiles”, which used to be seen on high streets and in workplaces, in 2017 and replaced them with an appointment‑based system that doesn’t allow for walk‑in visits.

This threatens the volunteer spirit. Older donors might not be able to access the online system. One user complains that he made an appointment but discovered upon arrival that it had been cancelled. Another says that no online appointments were available at all, so he showed up anyway only to be told that he would have to wait at least two hours.

The NHS has apologised for any errors and says that routine donations are now made by appointment because that helps hospitals collect the blood types they need. This isn’t good enough. If the system has glitches, they need to be fixed fast – and NHS managers must bear in mind the historic, cultural aspect of blood donation. In his famous 1970 book The Gift Relationship, Richard Titmuss used British blood donation as an example of altruism in action – arguing that Britons gave more blood and of a higher quality because they did so voluntarily.

Over the years, many donors have become regulars: they have built a personal relationship with the health service that ought to be nurtured and treasured. Although change is sometimes unavoidable, no adaptation should actually make it harder for individuals to do something good – and the portrait that some users paint of the current system suggests that it is putting an obstacle in the way of human kindness. As one man put it: “The system has now just made it more and more difficult to make a donation, as though they are doing us a favour.”

Would it be impossible to combine online booking and walk‑in appointments? We don’t see why it should be. It would be a tragedy if – in the rush towards efficiency – the NHS undermined compassion with bureaucracy. When people want to give, they should be able to give, for it is this spirit that keeps many vital services going. Volunteers are not looking for a pat on the back for what they do. They simply don’t want to be prevented from doing their bit.