Blood donation: These are the common health conditions that could stop you from giving blood

• NHS has triggered an “amber alert” over blood shortages.
• A “perfect storm” of increased demand along with disruption caused by a recent cyber attack has caused stocks of blood to drop.
• On average, there are around 50,000 appointments to fill in blood donation centres each week, with over 12,000 appointments still left in the next two weeks.
• O negative and O positive blood donors are being asked to urgently come forward.

Blood shortages in the UK have triggered an NHS “amber alert”, after the “perfect storm” of high demand along with the recent cyber attack, leaving donor appointments unfilled.

On average, there are around 50,000 appointments available to give blood each week, with there currently being over 12,000 left to fill in blood donation centres over the next two weeks.

The unprecedentedly low levels, has seen the NHS ask to restrict the use of O type blood to essential cases and use substitutions where clinically safe to do so.

Blood donors are being urged to come forward, with those in the O blood group in demand as it is the most common blood type and can be received by all patients in an emergency.

Unfortunately, not everyone who wants to give blood is able to. Here is everything you need to know about who is eligible, what medical conditions might make you unable to give blood and where your local blood donation centre is.

Who can give blood?

Blood is always in high demand, the NHS needs 5,000 donations every day to meet the needs for patients across England. Donated blood is used to treat critically ill patients, as well as anyone who has lost blood through an accident, injury, surgery or in child birth.

When blood stocks drop to low levels, many people come forward hoping to give blood, but not everyone can. According to the NHS, those who want to give blood must:

• be generally fit and well
• be aged between 17 and 65
• weigh between 7 stone 12 lbs (50kg) and 25 stone (158kg)
• have suitable veins (we will check these before you donate)
• meet all donor eligibility criteria (we will check this with you before you donate)

Who can’t donate blood?

There are people who cannot donate blood, often this is due to a health condition, or previously needing to receive a blood transfusion.

Most types of cancer including leukaemia, lymphoma and colon cancer mean you cannot donate blood. Heart conditions including heart failure or stroke, also rule you out.

If you have type 1 diabetes or if you use insulin and have type 2 diabetes or another type of diabetes you cannot donate, you are also unable to give blood if you have inflammatory bowel disease or multiple sclerosis.

You cannot donate blood if you:

• have had most types of cancer
• have some heart conditions
• have received blood, platelets, plasma or any other blood products after January 1, 1980
• have tested positive for HIV
• have had an organ transplant
• are a hepatitis B carrier
• are a hepatitis C carrier
• have injected non-prescribed drugs including body-building and injectable tanning agents. You may be able to give if a doctor prescribed the drugs

If you are awaiting any results, hospital appointments or undergoing any medical investigations, you will not be able to give blood until these are completed. There are also some restrictions on giving blood if you have recently travelled to certain destinations around the world.

You can check for the full list of health conditions and travel destinations that might mean you cannot give blood at blood.uk, or alternatively you can call them on 0300 123 2323 to see if you can donate.

Can you give blood if you are sexually active?

You can give blood if you are sexually active, however you may have to wait up to three months to donate blood if you have had anal sex with a new partner in the last three months or if you finished taking Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) in the last 3 months.

It is also advised you should wait if in the last three months you had sexual contact with a partner who is:

• HIV positive
• HTLV positive
• a hepatitis B carrier
• a hepatitis C carrier
• syphilis positive
• has received money or drugs for sex
• has injected non-prescribed drugs including body-building and injectable tanning agents

Is there an age limit for giving blood?

Yes, to give blood you must be aged between 17 to 65 years old.

Can you give blood if you have tattoos?

If you have recently had a tattoo, which includes semi-permanent make-up and microblading, you will have to wait until four months have passed before you can donate blood. The same rule applies for anyone who has recently got a piercing or undergone acupuncture treatment.

How to find the nearest blood donation centre near you

There are 25 blood donation centres across England. If you are eligible, sign up as a blood donor on blood.uk, select you local donation centre and make an appointment to give blood.

There are NHS blood donation centres in:

• Birmingham
• Bradford
• Bristol
• Cambridge
• Gloucester
• Lancaster
• Leeds City Centre
• Leicester
• Liverpool
• London Edgware
• London Tooting
• London West End
• London Westfield Shepherd's Bush
• London Westfield Stratford City
• Luton
• Manchester, Plymouth Grove
• Manchester, Norfolk House
• Newcastle
• Nottingham
• Oxford
• Plymouth
• Poole
• Sheffield
• Southampton
• Stoke

As well as the centres listed above, there are also temporary blood donation centres. These are often community based venues in towns and villages such as church halls, sports centres, or hotels.

You can find out more about how to donate blood and the nearest NHS blood donation centre near you by visiting blood.uk.