Call for more men to donate blood in Milton Keynes to avoid stocks running low

Yes, you might think, blood is blood - but you'd be wrong. Men have higher iron levels and only their blood can be used for some transfusions including complete blood transfusions in newborn babies.

Without more men starting to donate, blood stocks will come under increasing pressure in future years.

Last year, only 40 per cent of new donors in Milton Keynes were men. Until the end of November, 434 women started donating blood in Milton Keynes with only 290 men.

Throughout January, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is running a national campaign encouraging ordinary men to become extraordinary by donating blood.

Another reason fella's blood is so important is the NHSBT gets 93 per cent of its platelets from male donors – they are mostly given to cancer patients to cut internal bleeding.

Mike Stredder, the head of donor recruitment for NHSBT, said: “All our donors are amazing. But we need more men to start donating blood in Milton Keynes during the new year. Men’s blood can be used in extraordinary, lifesaving ways, but we don’t have enough new male donors coming forward.

"This is not about recruiting as many donors as possible – it’s about getting the right gender mix.”

To become a blood donor visit here