Ockbrook blood donor with NEO blood urges more people to donate

Stock image: Credit: NHS Blood & Transplant

A lifelong donor from Ockbrook who has the NEO blood that can help critically ill babies is urging more people to give blood and says “there is no easier way to save a life”.

Nigel Vaughan, 70, is preparing to make his milestone 250th donation in April and is proud that his B negative blood can help the tiniest patients.

His plea comes as the NHS reveals that one in four donors have the specific blood needed by babies in neonatal intensive care and urges more people to donate to help seriously ill children and adults.

Newborns can only receive blood that is lacking the cytomegalovirus (CMV), a common and usually harmless virus that most adults are exposed to during their lives and stays in the body. It can however be fatal to infants with underdeveloped immune systems.

Nigel was inspired to start giving blood by his mother, who was a blood donor. She had started donating to ‘give back’ to the NHS after Nigel underwent lifesaving surgery as a baby to treat pyloric stenosis, a serious condition affecting newborns where the passage between the stomach and the small bowel becomes narrower.

Nigel, an emergency responder for St John Ambulance, said: “My earliest memories are of accompanying my mum to give blood. As soon as I was old enough I started donating myself.

“Knowing my blood can go to babies is quite special. My daughter and my daughter in law now give blood and it’s great to know I’m passing on the blood donation baton, just like my mum before me. I’ll carry on donating as long as I can. There’s no easier way to save a life.”

Around 200,000 of the nation’s 800,000 blood donors had their most recent donation labelled with a blue NEO tag which means it is suitable for transfusion to neonates.

Every week hospitals in England order around 500 units of red cells suitable for neonatal patients, which is around 0.5 percent of overall red cell demand. Red cells is the blood component most widely used to treat newborns.

NHS Blood and Transplant has revealed the data to highlight how donated blood is a lifeline for even the tiniest patients, as it calls for more people to become regular donors. One donation can help up to six babies or three adults.

Right now, stocks of most blood types are good but there is a particular need for more B negative, O negative, Ro and Black heritage donors in the lead up to Easter and the May bank holiday period.

During holidays, stock levels can drop as people spend time with family or have time away. The NHS teams will be collecting blood on every day, including over the entire Easter weekend and each of the bank holidays.

Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Every donor can be proud that their generous act will save or improve the life of a seriously ill child or adult, and we know our donors feel especially touched if they see a blue ‘NEO’ tag on their donation bag, knowing their blood can help the most vulnerable patients.

“The NHS needs new donors to maintain the supply of lifesaving blood to patients of all ages. Please register today and book an appointment. Giving blood is quick and easy, and you will save a life.”

A donation is tagged ‘NEO’ if there was no evidence of CMV when the donor’s blood was last tested. If their donation is needed for a neonatal patient it will be tested to make sure their CMV status has not changed and undergo other specialist testing.

Babies in neonatal care need transfusions to treat severe anaemia and infections, replace blood lost from blood sampling or surgery, and manage conditions like extreme jaundice.

CMV negative blood products are also needed by pregnant women and for lifesaving transfusions for unborn babies in the womb.

The NHS always needs new donors to replace those who stop donating every year. There remains an ongoing need for more donors of Black heritage to help patients with sickle cell who need ethnically matched blood.

Register as a blood donor and book your first appointment via the GiveBloodNHS app or at www.blood.co.uk. If you can’t find an appointment straight away please book for further in the future.