With 40% fewer new donors, UK blood banks are looking for more volunteers to bridge the shortfall

The number of new blood donors has plummeted by 40% in the UK, leaving health chiefs worried about blood shortages.

NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed that 40% fewer new volunteers have come forward to give blood in the last year compared with a decade ago. Longer working hours have been cited as a reason why fewer people have time to donate blood, as has the rise in people taking exotic holidays and getting tattoos – both of which preclude potential donors from giving blood.

The shortfall means that 70% more volunteers will have to donate in order to keep the nation’s blood stocks at a safe level. Experts say that means 204,000 people will have to come forward to donate this year alone.

A number of misconceptions still exist about donating blood. Almost half (48%) of the people responding to a recent survey carried out by NHS Blood and Transplant said they think the NHS asks friends and family to donate when a patient needs blood, which is not the case. Donated blood is used in a range of life-saving treatments for patients with cancer, blood disorders and those suffering medical trauma or undergoing surgery.

Giving blood is simple and easy to do and will only take about an hour of your time Jon Latham, NHS Blood and Transplant

Worryingly, the survey also revealed that one in eight people (13%) wrongly believe “synthetic blood” is created to meet the needs of national demand,such as in vampire TV drama, True Blood.

The survey also asked why people didn’t give blood. Answers included a phobia of needles or health problems, while 27% said they knew it was a good thing to do but never got round to it. If new volunteers aren’t attracted, experts say there would be increased “pressure” on the ability to provide the right type of blood for patients in the future.

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.”

“We know that people’s lives have got busier over the last decade. People are working longer hours, commuting further, spending more time online and have less time of their own, despite more options of how to use it.

“Travel to more exotic places, tattoos and investigations such as endoscopy are becoming more common and these lead to short-term deferrals from donation.”

In a survey of those who had given blood, 56% of respondents said doing it made them feel worthwhile.

Latham added: “Giving blood is simple and easy to do and will only take about an hour of your time. It could literally be a matter of life and death for somebody else.”

The figures come ahead of National Blood Week, which begins on Monday 8 June . NHS Blood and Transplant aim to attract new volunteers during the campaign as well as highlighting the need for all blood types.