New figures reveal that 4,000 new platelet donors are needed this year to help provide life-saving treatments for cancer patients.
NHS Blood and Transplant is urging blood donors who have blood types A negative, A positive and AB negative to consider switching to donating platelets. They can be given to almost everyone and are constantly needed by hospitals.
Blood donors are being urged to make the switch to platelets to replace those who no longer donate so the NHS can continue to provide patients with this life saving blood product.
Platelets are gold-coloured cells which help blood to clot and one donation can help up to three adults or 12 children.
Most donations help people with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy to avoid blood-loss, but platelet transfusions also help people who’ve lost a lot of blood after an accident, organ transplant or surgery.
The current number of dedicated platelet donors in England is just over 10,000 but an additional 4,000 new donors are needed to come forward in 2024.
