National Blood Services (NBS)

The National Blood Service is a nationwide organisation which attempts to get people to donate blood for them so they can use it in special situations at hospitals. They originally formed in 1946 under the name Blood Transfusion Service and the name changed in 1991 to the National Blood Service. They have over 2.1 donations per year and use 8,000 units of blood a day in hospitals to save peoples' lives. You can start donating as soon as you are 17. ------------------------ How it went for me ------------------------ I was 18 at the time and I decided I wanted to do donate blood because it was always advertised around me. ...  Read the complete review

To start with I should say that everyone who can should give blood. It is easy to do and helps to save lives. Getting started - the best thing to do would be to go on www.blood.co.uk to register and book an appointment near where you live/work. On your first blood donation you are given a lot more detailed information to ensure you are a suitable donor and explaining the process. Once you have donated a few times, the information pack is much smaller. Process - the way it works is you first fill a form in (which they send you in advance) with questions about where you have travelled and other questions designed to see if you can give blood. At the ...  Read the complete review

Giving blood is simple and only takes up a few minutes of your time, and could help to save someone's life, so why not give it a go? == The Procedure == I've given blood at several venues around the country and the seating arrangements and bed arrangements are different in each, so I will just use the arrangements of my home town as an example. Every so often the Blood Service take over a meeting room at our local arts centre. As you walk in you're faced with a few rows of chairs, here you can fill in a form with all your detail while you wait to see the first of the healthcare professionals. These people will normally ...  Read the complete review

Giving blood wasn't easy for me. I'd promised myself for a few years that I'd 'find the time' and that I'd 'pop in on the way home', but the reality was that I was terrified. Time after time I'd stroll casually past the donation centre, 'forgetting' my promise to myself. Years on, I regret not donating as soon as I had the chance. I'm 22 now, and the proud giver of three blood donations. My first was a relatively forced one during my time as a university student - a friend had to send a lot of encouragement my way, and of course the chance to have a huge meal at the SU bar helped, but that didn't stop the shaking by the time I arrived to donate. Nervous, I made a point ...  Read the complete review

OK I'll hold my hands up, I don't actively enjoy the process of giving blood, but maybe it would be more worrying if I did... I first gave blood when I was 18 and have donated many times since then. The main thing which ruins my track record is travelling to some dodgy destinations, and the waiting period which follows before you can donate again. Anyway, giving blood is a relatively quick and painless procedure. If you are pushed for time then it is definitely worth booking an appointment online. If it is your first donation then allow yourself some time as there is half a ton of paperwork to complete. Anyway, as a regular donor, once you have completed a ...  Read the complete review