Student Life October 2019
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DONATING BLOOD<br />
BY TSHEQUA WILLIAMS<br />
Recently I did something that I have<br />
wanted to do for a long time – I donated<br />
blood. While I was apprehensive about the<br />
whole process at first, it was one of the<br />
easiest things ever.<br />
To be able to donate you have to<br />
sign up through www.blood.co.uk<br />
It only takes a few minutes to fill in your<br />
details and then you are ready to book<br />
your first appointment. Again, this is an<br />
easy process which can be done on the<br />
website or through their app ‘NHS Give<br />
Blood’. All over the country there are<br />
temporary and regular pop-up blood<br />
banks where you can go and give blood,<br />
making it very accessible. Females can<br />
donate every 16 weeks and males every<br />
12 weeks, providing you still meet all the<br />
requirements (you may have to wait longer<br />
if you get a piercing for example – there is<br />
a full list of factors on their website).<br />
You are sent out a form to fill in and a<br />
booklet to read before you go to make<br />
the whole process quicker on the day.<br />
On the day of donation, you are advised<br />
to have a good breakfast and lunch and<br />
stay hydrated. When you arrive at the<br />
appointment you are required to read<br />
through some information and drink a<br />
glass of water. Then you’re taken for a<br />
quick consultation with a donor carer<br />
and/or nurse who will check through<br />
your forms and do a quick prick test to<br />
check if the haemoglobin (iron) levels in<br />
your blood are adequate. Then it’s finally<br />
time to donate! You are simply asked to<br />
sit in a tilted chair and do muscle tension<br />
exercises while the donation takes place.<br />
This is a fairly quick process which takes<br />
between 5-10 minutes. Afterwards you are<br />
allowed to take your time getting up and<br />
are given a drink and snack to relax with<br />
before you go.<br />
While all blood types are needed, there<br />
is always a demand for O negative (used<br />
as a universal source when a patient’s<br />
blood group is unknown and people<br />
with O negative blood can only receive<br />
their blood type). If you are over 17 and<br />
meet the requirements, I would definitely<br />
recommend looking into it – a simple blood<br />
donation really can help save lives.<br />
73 • PHYSICAL HEALTH • STUDENT LIFE
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