GiveBlood NHS  Opiniones 

I've booked for this coming season, to give blood. It's a way I thought I might be able to honour my mother who was a lifelong blood donor to the NHS.

(I wasn't allowed to attend my mother's funeral for her final journey, due to exploitative behaviours of a very close family member. I've got no grave to visit now nor place to be able to lay flowers for my mum, so the idea came to me I might donate blood knowing instead. In knowing that it was something she life long supported and that was very important to her.
She had lots of badges she had earned, over the many years of being a keen regular blood donor. She was always very proud of what being a regular blood donor meant. Something like a hundred pints of blood throughout her life I think it might have been, that she donated. Maybe more. I think she got tp a point where there were no more badges to be give out. I think it is something she would have liked me to do too, in honour and memory of her as her loving son.)

I've booked an appointment for coming months and will see how it goes. Booking was very easy to do. Just been waiting in the many weeks since making my decision, for my appointment slot to come up in my local area. I hope in her memory to regularly give blood to help save lives as well from now on.

No issues donating, staff have always been very friendly. Plenty of drinks and snacks before and after. The rooms tend to be well ventilated with aircon nowadays. The only thing that can be annoying is sometimes even if you do get there early, there can be fairly long wait times, which, its giving blood at the end of the day, so everyone's experience is going to be different and take a unique amount of time. The booking system is pretty decent online.

In gratitude for a life-saving operation that saved my dad’s life and gave him an extra 30 years, and later operations that improved the quality of his life, I started giving blood soon after I turned 18. In my ’30s, in response to the IMPORTED CONTAMINATED BLOOD SCANDAL, I upped my game and for some years donated plasma and platelets monthly. At about 50 I took a long break, I’d had enough, but a few years ago they asked me, now an OAP, to start donating blood again. I was a bit surprised but happy to do that.

In early 2020, after a trip to Thailand, I was wrongly turned away because some areas carried extra risk but, as it turned out when I checked, not them, that did not apply to where I’d been, so I was able to donate a week later. But they had let me make a wasted trip, no skin off their nose. During Covid, when my local centre was unavailable, I did a 60-mile round trip to another centre, at my own expense of course.

In October 2021 I had a mild eye infection, Specsavers (working for the NHS) checked my eye and advised me to buy over-the-counter drops to clear it. I did that and thought nothing of it. A few days later, as I went to give blood, I ticked the relevant box to say what had happened. That meant I had to discuss it with a nurse.

In her office she told me that because of that minor treatment I couldn’t donate. Her attitude was awful, she displayed zero empathy for my wasted trip, again, and just couldn’t care less. As the penny dropped I felt angry. I stood up, said nothing, did nothing, I simply left her office and slammed the exit door to the unit, not her office, as I left. I was fuming for the rest of the day.

To make matters worse I had never (ever) been sent the health-check questionnaire in advance, as should have happened, due to a clerical error on their part.

I later learnt that the nurse said I was ‘aggressive’, at which I took offence. There were various lengthy phone calls and email exchanges seeking to resolve this matter, but I eventually made it clear that I would not resume donations unless the aggression accusation was withdrawn. Their response was to ban me!

I did make a complaint to the relevant ombudsman service and my contact there was very understanding. She told me that they couldn’t pursue my case due to their enormous workload. But what she did tell me was that based on what I told them, they did NOT consider my behaviour to have been aggressive and thought I was NOT at fault.

In my view, the nurse made a shameful baseless accusation, and the blood transfusion service, unsurprisingly, closed ranks and chose to back her not me. I find their ungrateful contemptuous response truly staggering, a real kick in the teeth. They want your blood but you are not allowed to display human emotions when provoked.

What Putin is doing in Ukraine is aggression, I was just angry at their incompetence and bad attitude.

Registered to give blood 16 months ago. They cancelled again today. Either blood is urgently needed or it isn’t. Won’t be making another attempt.

Given blood myself almost 40 times. The service has gradually got more and more disappointing and unprofessional, to the point where my 'desperately needed' O negative blood type doesn't really seem to matter or actually be needed as much as I'm led to believe. The app is buggy and requests repeated information each time I try to book an appointment, is poor and differently behaved between my devices - I've uninstalled it now and just use the website.
Had my last appointment (made several months ago) cancelled by text without reason approximately a week before the donation date. No offer to amend the date, time,- nothing. I rebooked on the website for 30 minutes later on the day of the original date and time. Apparently this was due to new session times? Absolutely abysmal and quite rude and ungrateful too. I'm also getting a ridiculous and unreasonable amount of texts and calls regarding my donation appointments, covid etc. Last time I complained about this, my mobile number was taken off the system without telling me. As a result I didn't get any reminder whatsoever regarding my next appointment but luckily my phone calender did that job instead thankfully.
NHS blood and transplant need to give their heads a shake and pull their collective finger out ASAP! Maybe get rid of the management and personnel who are making a complete pig's ear of the system?
Much better service many years ago, walk in appointments suited me as a shift worker. Nowadays the service is appalling even with an appointment and more than adequate notice of the donation date and time. The press need to run an article on NHS blood and transplant to expose just how amateur and unprofessional this service has now become.

This is a very untrustworthy company. They take a donation 11 times and ignore the "extra rest" statement on my record. To then have some power hungry people decide I can't ever donate again.

As a long-term volunteer who regularly donated as soon as I was eligible, I previously proudly contributed around 15 pints of a rare blood type. That ended during the pandemic framework due to the hostile and unprofessional conduct of the staff at the Northallerton center.
​I have a legitimate medical exemption from wearing masks due to a diagnosed anxiety disorder and PTSD. Instead of handling this professionally, the front-of-house staff openly mocked, laughed at, and humiliated me in front of other medical personnel.
​While the distress of this provocation caused an argument, I returned later that same day to apologize for my reaction, which the staff accepted. Despite this, I subsequently received a patronizing letter attempting to place conditions on my future attendance.
​To be absolutely clear: I am the one in control of my voluntary donations. I permanently removed myself from the donor list because of your team's unacceptable behavior and lack of respect for medical exemptions. I will never donate through this organization again

Truthy disappointed!!
I was late 11minutes,I was told that it was late,I wouldn't be able to donate blood today because the appointment was canceled!
I travelled 1 hour by BUS to donate blood and endup not because of my lateness 11 minutes!!
I assume blood is not needed anymore!!
I will think twice before o book any appointment to donate blood again!
They should encourage people donate blood not the opposite!

I made a complaint to the CEO back in June/July 2021 where the equipment used to check iron levels did not correspond to 3 blood tests taken at the hospital and GP surgery. Regardless of the fact where the blood test was taken, they insisted there was not an issue with their equipment. It took the CEO over 3 months to respond and still disregarded the facts of the complaint. Due to them inserting needles into my body, and after donating 65 pints over 48 years, I would not allow them to take any more donations from me.

Shambolic experience at Blackburn Rovers.

Extremely badly signposted. This meant that I was late. I was abruptly told that it was my fault and to go away. I had taken time off work and travelled 18 miles to give blood today.

Clearly my blood is not needed. The way I was treated was appalling. I will be thinking twice about giving blood in the future.

This service is an absolute joke. I have been donating blood regularly for years but now I'm unable to donate as every single one of my last appointments have been cancelled the day before it's due to take place. I alter my plans/work etc so I can arrange to donate yet you give me less that 24 hours notice that you are cancelling my appointment. Even more annoying is I'm constantly receiving emails and texts to tell me to donate as you are 'desperate'.

Like many others have said/done I'm seriously considering not donating anymore and asking for my personal details to be removed.

People who are volunteering their time and want to donate their blood should be treated with more respect.

Abysmal service. Never get seen on time & have to wait months between appointments unless I want to travel miles away. NHS are supposedly desperate for blood, especially my rare blood type but make no effort to encourage donors

So disappointed with these people . Today they called me to ask again as desperate for my blood which I have donated for 23 years and over 35 pints . Because I am asthmatic and have a asthmatic cough I cannot donate . I informed her I have had this cough 20 years and will till I die . She said sorry sir you can’t donate till your cough has gone . Absolutely ridiculous stop wasting my time

I have been donating blood for many years but am now reconsidering. My issue is that I am sick and tired of being pestered by texts every time I make a booking. So far for my latest booking I have received 1 letter and 1 email (which is fine) and 12 texts (which most definitely is not fine!).
I have sent in a complaint as the approach is putting me off donating and I suspect other donors will feel the same.
Please get this sorted!

My last two attempts to give blood got cancelled and there were several months between them, so it wasn’t just a busy week/month, it was extremely poor organisation. For the second one, I had to move my acupuncture appointment (which I was really looking forward to!) to make sure I can donate with no issues and all of this just to receive a cancellation via text several hours before my appointment. You can’t disrespect donors and their plans and afterwards bombard them with messages of encouragement to donate, as this just doesn’t make any sense. Donors do try their best for you, you could at least show your respect to them by organising your own operations.

I have donated blood yesterday at Brunel’s University. What can I say - excellent service from my arrival till the end. NHS staff were so friendly and nice, they explained everything from a-z, the atmosphere was brilliant! Will donate soon again!! Thank you 🙏 Egle

Please don't forget the importance of this service and encourage all eligble donors to do so. The whole experience is very positive, booking and rebooking is fine. Please show patience, especially with booking with the mobile units who may only be in your area every several months.

The staff make you feel like a king or queen and you get free kit kats - what's not to like about that!

There have been a number of excellent information improvements on the site, such as just how valuable your donation is to real people and the difference it makes. One new feature is that they tell you what hospital/dept your blood donation goes to. Excellent feature.

This is a not for profit organisation, part of our NHS and it only functions with all our help. Please make a difference and donate.

Frustrated at cancelled appointments after booking them months in advance. I wish they were honest and said if they don’t need your blood as they’ve got enough of that type then tell you. They need to be more transparent, puts me off giving blood in the future.

Excellent first experience. Very well organised, efficient and great people.
Thank you.

I’ve done this about 6 times now, it’s a fantastic cause to be involved in, donating blood for cancer patients and premature babies and hospital emergencies who need it, very helpful nurses attend you while you are donating, many more donors needed to , a big thumbs up for this always