Blood donation appointments available across the Black Country as new mobile blood collection team launches in time for winter

Appointments can now be booked online with more than 430 slots available to book each week, saving over 1,200 lives. The team will hold sessions in community venues across the area including Wolverhampton, Dudley, Telford, Tipton, Shrewsbury, Kingswinford and Wednesbury.

To mark the launch of the new team, local residents can register as a new blood donor and find out their likely blood type plus learn more about giving blood at the NHS pop-up shop at the Mander Community Hub, in the Mander Shopping Centre, Wolverhampton. This will be open on 25-30 November from 10am to 5pm, with Sunday hours from 10.30am to 3pm.

The NHS urgently needs more O negative and B negative blood donors to come forward over winter to stabilise stocks of these vital blood groups. O negative is the ‘universal’ blood type which can be given in emergencies, while B negative is rare and only found in 2% of the population, leaving it vulnerable to fluctuations.

In 2021, 9.3% of Wolverhampton’s residents identified as Black, Caribbean or African, and the NHS is particularly asking people of Black heritage to consider giving blood.

This is because ethnically matched blood is vital for treatment of sickle cell, with a particularly high demand for blood with the subtype Ro. More than half (56%) of donors of Black heritage are likely to have the Ro blood type, compared with just 2.4% of people of other ethnicities.

NHS Blood and Transplant is increasing in the number of local sessions and appointments with the aim of significantly increasing appointments for existing donors as well as enabling more new donors to come forward, including O negative and B negative donors who may not have previously known their blood type or had the opportunity to donate.

Jane Whistance, Area Manager for West Midlands, says: “We have recruited a new team in Wolverhampton who are now ready to welcome donors. Bookings are already off to a strong start, but we need people to keep coming in the weeks and months ahead, especially as we enter the challenging winter period.

“The entire donation process takes just an hour, while the donation itself takes around ten minutes and each donation can save up to three lives.”

Programme Director for Blood Supply, Debbie Rahman, said: “Wolverhampton was chosen as it has the potential for us to increase donations from Ro, Black heritage and O negative donors.

“We believe that having the new mobile team and by increasing the number of appointments available, we are able to offer greater opportunity to donate for our donors and build the resilience of our blood stocks.”

Councillor Obaida Ahmed, the City of Wolverhampton Council's Cabinet Member for Health, Wellbeing and Community, said: "We are delighted to support this important NHS Blood and Transplant initiative.

“By registering to give blood, you’ll be pledging to give others the chance at life when they need it most.

"Right now, there is currently a particular need for donors with O negative, B negative, and Ro blood types, as well as donors of Black heritage, who are most likely to have the Ro subtype.

"Every donation has the potential to save lives, making registration more important than ever, and so I would encourage everyone in Wolverhampton to take this opportunity to sign up to give blood and visit the pop-up shop. It will only take a few minutes, but the difference you could make is immeasurable.”

She added: "As a council, we are committed to supporting initiatives that promote health and wellbeing across the city, and this partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant is just one example of that."

Book a blood donation appointment today at blood.co.uk, by downloading the NHS Give Blood app or calling 0300 123 23 23.