Donating blood

Blood Donor Service

We provide the blood donation service in Jersey, which includes managing the donation, storage and transfusion of blood.

By giving blood you'll be helping to increase local blood stocks that could save someone's life. We are always looking for individuals to give blood.

Who can donate blood

You can give blood if you’re 17 or over.

There are situations when you may not be able to donate, and other times when you won’t ever be able to give blood.

You may not be able to donate blood if:

you have donated blood within the last 3 months
you are pregnant, or have had a baby within the last 6 months
you haven’t eaten and drunk well before your donation
you feel unwell on the day, or have had any symptoms within the last 14 days, including a cough, cold, cold sore, infection or feeling unusually tired
you have travelled outside the UK or Channel Islands, contact us to check if this affects your ability to donate
you are waiting for any appointments with your GP, hospital or healthcare professional, including scans, X‑rays, treatment or surgery
you have had any changes to your prescribed medication, including new over‑the‑counter medicines
you have had a piercing, tattoo, acupuncture, or any cosmetic procedure involving needles within the last 4 months
you have visited the dentist or hygienist, or are waiting for further dental treatment

You won't ever be able to donate if you:

have received a blood transfusion since 1980
have had cancer
are HIV positive
are HTLV positive
have hepatitis B or hepatitis C, or are a carrier
have had or are being treated for syphilis
have ever injected, or been injected with, non‑prescribed drugs
have coronary artery disease
are an insulin‑dependent diabetic
have malaria or TB
have been bitten by a non‑human primate including monkeys or apes

Register and make an appointment

We don’t offer a drop‑in service. You need to register with us and book an appointment before donating.

To register as a blood donor, complete our registration form below.

When you’ve successfully registered with us, we'll confirm your appointment by post.

Donation appointments

Appointments are available:

Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 8am to 1pm
Tuesday from 8am to 12.30pm

We don't offer appointments on Fridays.

We’re available Monday to Friday, 8am to 3pm for general enquiries.

Cancelling or rescheduling an appointment

If you can’t attend an appointment, let us know as soon as possible. This means we can offer the appointment to another donor.

Our location

We’re located on the ground floor of the General Hospital in the Pathology Department. Go through the set of double doors between the Pharmacy waiting area and the Pathology reception window.

The Blood Donor Room is along this corridor on the left hand side.

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title:Blood Donor Room location

Parking

You can park for free in a designated blood donor parking space in Patriotic Street car park when you attend your appointment. All the details including a parking permit are on your appointment slip. You must display the parking permit in your windscreen.

If the designated spaces are full, you may use any space in Patriotic Street car park, as long as the parking permit is clearly displayed.

Preparing to give blood

How to make your blood donation experience pleasant, safe and straightforward.

Eat

You must eat 2 to 4 hours before your donation appointment. This keeps your blood sugar levels stable and helps you feel well during and after giving blood.

Drink

Drink plenty of water on the day you give blood, and stay well hydrated in the days before your appointment. This helps replace the fluids you lose during donation, as almost half of donated blood is water.

Avoid alcohol before and after donating, as it affects hydration and can slow your recovery.

Exercise

Avoid vigorous exercise or heavy lifting before and after your donation. Keeping your body rested helps to prevent you feeling dizzy or lightheaded.

Clothing

Wear clothing with loose sleeves so you stay comfortable and we can easily access your veins.

What to expect on the day

We’ll guide you through the process, explain what we’re doing and answer any questions you have. You’ll complete a donor health check form, and we’ll ask you a few questions.

We’ll take a small blood sample from your finger to test your haemoglobin level. If your result is low, we won’t take a donation, and the nurse will explain what you need to do next.

Your donation

We label your blood bag and sample tubes with unique identification numbers. We place a soft strap called a tourniquet around your upper arm to apply gentle pressure.

We examine your arm to find a suitable vein and clean the area with an antiseptic sponge.

An agitator scale weighs and measures your donation and stops automatically when it’s complete. You may hear beeping sounds as it monitors your donation.

A full donation is 460ml and usually takes 5 to 10 minutes. We process and test your blood in the laboratory before making it available for patients.

After you donate

You’ll relax in the post‑donation area for at least 15 minutes, and we’ll offer you drinks and biscuits.

It’s important to eat properly later on and drink plenty of fluids for the rest of the day. Keep the dressing on your arm for at least 6 hours.

Avoid:

using your donation arm to carry anything heavy
having a hot bath after giving blood

If you feel unwell

If you feel unwell at any time in the 14 days after your donation, or believe your donated blood shouldn’t be used, let us know.

To contact us out of hours, call the Hospital switchboard on +44 (0) 1534 442000 and ask them to bleep the out‑of‑hours biomedical scientist.

If you feel:

faint
dizzy
shaky
nauseous
sweaty
trembly

Lie down and rest until you feel better and drink plenty of fluids. Let us know if this happens.

Bruising

A bruise may appear at the donation site on your arm. This is usually harmless and will fade over time. It may look dramatic, especially if it appears away from where the needle was inserted.

During the first 36 hours after the bruise appears:

Rest: allow time for the bruise to heal. Avoid heavy lifting and keep movement gentle
Ice: wrap ice in a cloth and apply it to the area
Compression: press gently on the point where the needle was inserted
Elevation: raise your arm above the level of your heart when resting

If you need pain relief, take paracetamol. Avoid aspirin and ibuprofen for the first 24 hours.