The Beacon Message Board

If you are fit, healthy, able and willing, which is probably most of you, please consider donating an armful of your blood (it does fill up again!) to help out in the current crisis. Many regular donors will not be able to get to the donation centres and those that are ill / injured in hospital will be in need of donations. You never know, you might need it back one day!
If you haven't given blood before it's really easy and doesn't take long. You can look at the Blood Donor web site for information and sign up if you are willing.
https://www.blood.co.uk/

Thanks for considering this.

Other than travelling into Birmingham city centre or turning up at a fully booked session on the off chance that someone who can't make their appointment hasn't cancelled there is no availability before June/July/August depending on where you live.

Keep Looking, I managed to get a slot on Saturday morning, someone must have cancelled.

I find the Blood Service a little annoying. I am continually pestered by phone, e-mail and text messages to attend donation sessions urgently but when I go to book, I have to weeks before a slot is available. When booking in January I had to wait until March.

This is something which troubles me too because donating blood was really important to me. I'm afraid I gave up some years ago having clocked up over 50 donations. It used to be ok to turn up without an appointment but that eventually became frowned upon and ultimately not permitted. All the sessions were being fully booked well in advance, partly because while having their cuppa after donating everybody was asked to book their next appointment even though the many retired donors probably have more flexibility about when they attend. So the following sessions were booked up a few months in advance and by the time I had an idea where I'd be working in a few weeks time there was no chance of getting an appointment. In the New Year I decided to make an effort and start donating again, even if it meant that I had to commit to a date a month or two in advance. Having re-registered (my records had been deleted) I eagerly searched for the next available appointment at any of the three nearest centres only to be offered November 2020, the only way I could get anything sooner would be travelling into central Birmingham which is the most difficult to do around work commitments.

One positive note is at least it means that there is no shortage of donors (appreciating that current restrictions might have an impact) so presumably the regular appeals for donors are simply to ensure all the sessions are fully booked.

Has anybody here provided a platelet donation as I am wondering if there any after effects?

With blood I usually feel rough for two days and lethargic for a week but I guess that platelets might not have the same effect.

Philip Whiteman wrote: ↑

27 Mar 2020 19:23

Has anybody here provided a platelet donation as I am wondering if there any after effects?

With blood I usually feel rough for two days and lethargic for a week but I guess that platelets might not have the same effect.

Not platelets, but white cells, the only effect was being chilly as was put on a machine which took the blood, spun off the cells and returned the chilled blood. I was fine afterwards.

BTW my appointment to give blood was cancelled due to staff shortages!

I'm a regular platelet donor with around 400 donations (platelet donations count double)
Platelets can only be donated locally at New Street and you're on the machine for a maximum of 90 minutes.

There are no I'll effects other than some people can get a slight reaction to the anticoagulant but this is easily managed by the staff.


You need to go on a regular basis of around one a month minimum. The advantage of this is you get to be on first name terms with all the staff and they treat you brilliantly.

Simon that is amazing. You have given blood almost every month for the last 20 yrs!!! Chapeau.

Yosser wrote: ↑

02 Apr 2020 08:58

Simon that is amazing. You have given blood almost every month for the last 20 yrs!!! Chapeau.

More or less Dave. Though it's taken a bit longer than 20 years and I used to give every 3 weeks.

I had to have time off occasionally because of Rugby injuries and am struggling at the moment because my iron levels are low.

I will have saved more lives by giving blood than I have in my 25 years as a firefighter.

I second Dave's "Chapeau" Si! Impressive commitment. I suppose for a regular long distance cyclist platelet donation has advantages compared to whole blood in that it doesn't leave you with reduced red cells for a week or two?

I’ve now got another appointment for Tuesday!