Blood donor service...... going down the pan?

[palinurus]

I have been a doner for 35 years, and I don't know about Ireland, but you did get the choice here of tea, coffee, half of Guinness or Mackeson stout. plus bickies and a choice of sarnies. This was at the Nth. London blood donor centre in Edgware. Now the guinness and stout have long gone, still get the bickies though with tea, coffee or fruit juice.

I always pick up some stout on the way home from donating.

 

[theclaud]

Can we just check, is that something that you don't do on days you haven't doned?

Doned? I can't decide whether I love that or hate it.

 

[palinurus]

Just lager if I haven't doned.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Anyone who has lived in the UK for a year or more between 1980 and 1996 is restricted from giving blood in the EU/EFTA.

In the US anyone who has lived for more than five years in Europe is restricted too.

Why is that?

 

[ufkacbln]

I had the same issue and just gave up going - God how I miss those TUC biscuits!

Tesco sell them, but I am not sure how the staff will react when you slap a pint of blood on the checkout as payment!

 

[I like Skol]

..........I don't think people will ever get paid for blood in this country. Because Cameron and his jackals are more interested in what they can get rather than what they can give.
We are all a dispensable commodity!

Personally I don't think we should be paid to donate. It is an act of charity. I expect most people donate because they can and in the grand scheme of things (call it karma maybe) they hope that others will do the same so we all have a chance of receiving blood if we ever needed it. In fact, quite the opposite to being paid for my blood I would even be happy to make a small cash donation of just a pound or two to cover the cost of providing the refreshments received after a visit.

The National Blood Service has limited resources - there are only so many units (whether mobile or fixed) and donors that can be seen in a day. It makes perfect sense to maximise the use of those resources............

I would think the fact that they're pushing appointments (which you comment on) makes it clear that's their preference...

.....Frankly, with that attitude, perhaps it will be better for the staff not to have to deal with you.
Giving blood is supposed to be an altruistic act...

User, your comment that the blood service has to use it's resources efficiently is reasonable but to suggest it is ok for them to mess donors about by asking, begging, pleading with them to attend sessions when they know they are over subscribed anyway IS taking the p!ss in anybody's book. Have you never heard the story of the boy that cried wolf?

I also don't have a problem with them going to an appointment only service if that is the route they wish to take and it is efficient and they can collect enough blood that way. Again, why still encourage drop-in donors to a service that is over subscribed.

Finally, I find your last comment offensive! I am not the problem here, I have not been abusive to the staff I dealt with and I donate my blood, give my time and have always encouraged others to do the same, unconditionally and freely. However, I am beginning to believe that the blood service is taking it's donors for granted and treating them badly. What do you expect me to do about this, roll over and accept it? Perhaps if donors stay away they will rethink the way they are managing the service.

 

[slowmotion]

Payment for blood donations is a truly terrible idea. Can anyone think of a reason why?

Selling your blood in Istanbul was one way of getting extra funds for your overland trip to Katmandhu in the Sixties and early Seventies. There were stories of bloodless Western bodies floating under the Galata Bridge.

 

[Stephenite]

Why is that?

It's because of vCJD, otherwise known as 'mad cow disease'.

 

[theclaud]

It's because of vCJD, otherwise known as 'mad cow disease'.

TMN to TMN!

 

[Stephenite]

I have an idea the ban on UK and European donors in some countries might have something to do with 'mad cow disease', but I might be wrong.

Sorry, didnt see that.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Sorry, didnt see that.

Neither did I , only saw your answer, sorry @User13710

 

[alicat]

I'm sorry you're so annoyed @@I like Skol but I can't believe that the National Blood Service is really 'taking the p1ss' or treating donors 'like commodities'. It's part of the NHS and is struggling with cuts in funding just as much as other areas. The people who staff the donor sessions have to put up with abuse sometimes from people who can't be accommodated when they wish to be, but it isn't their fault that this happens. No one goes to their GP surgery without an appointment expecting to just be seen there and then, do they?

There's always the fact that a surprising number of people make appointments for things and then just don't turn up - maybe they forget, or maybe they can't be bothered - then perhaps a drop-in donor could be slotted in. Depending on where you live there might be other sessions where it would be possible for you to make an appointment to suit your circumstances, but it would be a great shame if you just stopped giving blood altogether because of this.

I've got O negative blood and my sister had a blood transfusion when she was a baby so I really want to help them. However I got cheesed off with the piped music, the long waits even when I had made an appointment and the general implication I should act like a grateful patient not a volunteer. To me the act of altruism is the time necessary to give blood and a bit more to cut them a bit of slack but not half an hour or more when I could be heading home from work. I raised these issues with them but they didn't seem able to respond at all reasonably. They just took me off the list.

 

[JayMac]

Thats bloody ridiculous..

Well someone had to make the pun, some of you people are comically challenged! Its like getting blood from a stone!

Ill just stop now.... i thought i could put a bit of an O-Positive spin on an AB-negative story!

*****EDIT l... i said Type-a by accident... must of been a Type-O*****

 

[asterix]

*****EDIT l... i said Type-a by accident... must of been a Type-O*****

Transfusion confusion?

 

[Genau]

Why is that?

The Europeans claim we have all got mad cow disease so they will not take our blood. The real reason is that their puny foreign bodies would not be able to handle virile British blood. They would just explode.

Probably.