BHM - What's your blood type?…

Curious about your blood type?

Join NHS Blood and Transplant to get your free, quick finger-prick blood test to discover your blood type. You can also find out more about blood donation, the process of donating blood, and the importance of donors (especially for less common blood types).

How your donation could help

When you give blood, it's tested for type and subtype. If you’re a close match for a patient in need, your donation could be used to treat someone with sickle cell disease.

For patients, closely matched blood:

• improves energy and reduces pain.
• helps prevent strokes in children and adults.
• allows them to live more active, independent lives.

Why Black heritage donors are needed

Every day, people with sickle cell disorder rely on blood transfusions to stay alive. For the safest transfusion, they need blood that’s closely matched to their own. This often comes from someone of the same heritage, including people of Black-African, Black-Caribbean, and Mixed ethnicity.

Only 3% of NHS blood donors are from Black heritage communities, meaning many patients wait longer for the best match.

Why blood from Black heritage donors is vital:

• 47% of Black heritage donors have the Ro blood subtype which is vital for treating sickle cell disease.
• Closely matched blood reduces the risk of life-threatening reactions and long-term complications.
• A person with sickle cell disease may need up to 100 units of blood per year.

The NHS urgently needs 12,000 more donors of Black heritage to meet the growing demand.

Will you be one of them?