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“I am pleased to announce SNBTS expects to be able to implement these changes by summer 2021. “We are committed to equality and inclusion, and these changes will ensure a fairer and more up to date assessment of risk is applied to both men and women to identify whether donors may be at risk of a blood-borne virus infection. “I welcome the recommendations of the FAIR group, which will enable a more individualised risk assessment approach to blood donor safety checks while continuing to ensure the safe supply of blood to patients. Public Health Minister Joe FitzPatrick said: The changes follow recommendations by the specialist steering group for Assessment of Individualised Risk (FAIR) made up of leading medical and academic experts and LGBTI+ groups.
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Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) will ensure there is information available for donors to explain the reasons for the changes and to give reassurance that all information provided by donors is kept strictly in confidence. Instead, everyone will be given a more individual risk assessment, which will involve all potential donors being asked a few additional questions about their sexual behaviours. New recommendations, which the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is satisfied will continue to ensure blood safety, mean men will no longer be automatically barred from giving blood if they have had sex with another man in the last three months. Register to give blood by calling 0300 123 23 23, downloading the GiveBloodNHS app, or visiting the website.Fairer risk assessment to be implemented.Ĭhanges to the questions asked of blood donors will ensure more gay and bisexual men are able to donate blood in the future.Ĭurrently, men are not able to donate blood in the UK if they have had sex with another man in the past three months, in line with previous expert advice. Under the changes people can donate if they have had the same sexual partner for the last three months, or if they have a new sexual partner with whom they have not had sex, and there is no known recent exposure to an STI or recent use of PrEP or PEP. Our staff have been trained to make sure these more personal conversations are conducted with care and sensitivity and accurate information is captured." “Our priority is to make sure that donors are able to answer the pre-donation questions in a setting that makes them feel comfortable and safe and donation is something that continues to make people feel amazing. This means some donors might not be eligible on the day but may be in the future. All donors will now be asked about sexual behaviours which might have increased their risk of infection, particularly recently acquired infections. “We screen all donations for evidence of significant infections, which goes hand-in-hand with donor selection to maintain the safety of blood sent to hospitals. This change is about switching around how we assess the risk of exposure to a sexual infection, so it is more tailored to the individual. “I welcome the changes, as now gay men wanting to give blood will feel more accepted – it is all about equality for me."Įlla Poppitt, chief nurse for blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Patient safety is at the heart of everything we do. “I am very excited about the eligibility changes as I will now be eligible to give blood and save the lives of others the way my mum was helped by blood donors. "It was always my aim to return the favour and replace it by donating blood myself. “My mum had a heart bypass when I was a teenager and received a lot of blood, which saved her life," said Adrian. Picture supplied by NHSįrom today (Monday) – World Blood Donor Day – donors in England, Scotland and Wales will no longer be asked if they are a man who has had sex with another man, but will be assessed based on individual circumstances surrounding health, travel and sexual behaviours.Īnyone who has had the same sexual partner for the last three months will be eligible to donate.Īdrian Bond, a 36-year-old railway worker from Rochester, has booked in to give blood for the first time in Maidstone on Monday June 14, and will be one of the first newly eligible people to donate. New eligibility rules that will allow more men who have sex with men to donate blood, platelets and plasma come into effect this week, marking a historic move to make blood donation more inclusive while keeping blood just as safe. A Rochester man will be among the first to give blood following a relaxation in donation rules for gay and bisexual men.