NHS seeks 200,000 more blood donors in England to avoid threat to safety

NHS England needs more black donors, who are likely to have blood types to treat people with sickle cell disease. Photograph: NHSBT/PA

The NHS needs to fill a shortfall of more than 200,000 blood donors in England to avoid a threat to public safety, officials have said.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) wants to hit a target of 1 million blood donors to meet growing demand as just under 800,000 people – 2% of the population in England – kept the nation’s blood stocks afloat last year.