Plasma Donations

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is leading an urgent program on behalf of the Government, to enable a planned UK trial that could produce a vital treatment to save more lives.

This requires plasma donations from people who have had COVID-19 and are now recovering.

These are known as ‘Convalescent Plasma’ Donors. Medical trials are ongoing and are now focused on establishing whether high titre plasma might benefit patients when used early on in a patient’s illness – before hospitalisation.

To undertake these trials, they urgently need to collect as much high titre plasma as possible from willing donors.

Donated plasma could help some of the most vulnerable patients, such as the elderly, or people with weak immune systems.

They welcome all donations but are seeking donations in particular from recovering male patients who are 18-65 years old as they are more likely to have high levels of antibodies against the COVID virus.

To recruit more donors they are reaching out to Local community, healthcare providers and GPs to help them by :

• Sharing our message to encourage people who are recovering from COVID-19 to consider plasma donation. You can:
  • Signpost them to our National Call Centre – the telephone no. is: 0300 123 2323.
  • Direct them to their website, and ask them to search “Donate Plasma”;
• Offering information using:
  • Posters in your waiting room, local community partnerships facilities , that can be downloaded at https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/download-digital-materials/convalescent-plasma-materials/nhs-community-engagement-partnership/;
    Video campaign at https://www.nhsbt.nhs.uk/how-you-can-help/get-involved/download-digital-materials/convalescent-plasma-materials/convalescent-plasma-videos/

Their nearest donor centre is open 08.00 to 20.00, 7 days a week at Dunedin House, Columbia Drive, Thornaby, Stockton, TS17 6BJ.