Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent steps he has taken to help increase the number of blood donors.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for blood services in England. Recently, NHSBT has led a number of initiatives to increase blood donations and in turn improve blood stocks, specifically:

• to increase collection capacity and resilience, NHSBT opened a new donor centre in Brighton in October 2025, joining the Brixton Donor Centre, from December 2024, and newly re-opened donor centre in Southampton, from June 2025;
• NHSBT’s winter campaign reminds and encourages people to donate during the winter months, and this year is emphasising how blood donation supports a healthcare system which operates around the clock, every day of the year;
• a new partnership between the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency and NHSBT is encouraging learner drivers and motorists renewing their driving licences to donate. It is hoped this initiative inspires more younger people in particular to sign up and become regular donors;
• National Blood Week, from 9 to 13 June 2025, saw campaigns seeking to recruit donors, particularly for blood groups where demand is high, and to increase the number of bookings. Messaging included a strong call to action for a million people to become regular donors; and
• a Marketing Automation Tool enables NHSBT to personalise the messages it sends to donors so that more of the communication donors receive is relevant to them and makes it easier to book an appointment at a time and place that suits them. In addition, NHSBT has a hotline to enable priority donors, which are currently O negative, B negative, and Ro donors, to find an available appointment.