Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the trial of the Post Donation Testing for advance haemoglobin assessments.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood donation in England. NHSBT test donors’ haemoglobin levels to ensure they are at sufficient levels to safely donate.

NHSBT is currently undertaking a feasibility assessment of post-donation testing for haemoglobin. This involves sending a sample taken after donation for laboratory testing, which is the gold standard for measuring haemoglobin levels. Donors are then advised whether they need further testing before their next donation or can donate as normal. It is hoped that this will enable more personalised donor care and improved on session experience.

Data collection began in October 2025 and is due to continue until at least July 2026. As the assessment is ongoing, the data is not yet complete, and no final assessment of its effectiveness has been made.