The way you give blood is about to change.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has this week said there has been a reduction in the amount of blood needed.

As a result, the number of donor sessions in Surrey, London and Hampshire is to be cut.

NHSBT says the move will avoid "wasting precious donations by collecting too much blood".

In a statement, NHSBT explained hospital blood use has been declining by around 3% to 4% a year, largely due to improvements in clinical practice.

While some sessions in the south east will shut from April 2018, the number of slots available at other venues will increase.

Mike Stredder, director of blood donation at NHSBT said: “We are very grateful to all those who give up their time to donate blood.

"Their generosity helps save and improve the lives of patients across the country. The demand for blood is reducing, partly because of improvements in clinical practice, such as keyhole surgery."

NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.5 million units of blood each year

Mr Stredder added: “This means we sometimes need to reduce the amount of blood donation sessions that we hold. It is important we don’t waste precious donations by collecting too much blood.

“When we need to reduce the amount of blood donation sessions we hold, we try and make sure we retain the sessions that allows us to collect the most blood in the most efficient way."

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NHSBT still needs to collect 1.5 million units of blood each year to meet need across England.

O negative, A negative and B negative donors are still encouraged to donate regularly as stocks of these blood groups are more vulnerable to shortfalls.

NHSBT also needs more black and south Asian people to become blood donors to "reflect the ethnic diversity of patients".

You can find out more about blood donation here .

How to give blood

  • Blood donors can search for sessions, book appointments, change/cancel their appointments and change their contact details in real time here
  • There are apps available for Android, Windows and Apple Smartphone and tablet devices which enable donors to search for sessions based on their location and book and manage appointments·
  • The donor line (0300 123 23 23) is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with all calls charged at the standard local rate, even from mobile phones

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