New campaign seeks to address drop in NHS blood donations

A new campaign calling for blood donations in England and Wales has been launched in response to a drop in donor numbers over the last decade.

According to NHS Blood and Transplant, 120,000 fewer people joined the blood donor register in 2014-15 compared to 2004-05, representing a decline of 40 percent. Only around three to four percent of the current eligible population are regular donors.

The organisation believes the growing number of commitments and distractions occupying people's free time, including longer commutes and social media use, may be responsible for this.

With donor numbers also dropping in Scotland, the new campaign is calling for 204,000 new volunteers to start donating, with young people and those from ethnic minorities set to be particularly targeted.

Jon Latham, assistant director for donor services and marketing at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "We simply can't ignore the fact that there has been a stark reduction in the number of new donors coming forward – a trend seen across the world."

Earlier this week, NHS Blood and Transplant set out plans to save the NHS an additional three million pounds a year by cutting the price of blood to 120 pounds per unit.