Meeting of the Parliament 02 October 2025 [Draft]
Thank you, Presiding Officer. We Highland and Islanders do find it easier to donate down here in Edinburgh.
I am speaking on behalf of the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health, who is unable to be here.
Following the debate on organ and tissue donation last Thursday evening, I, too, welcome this debate on blood donation. It gives us an opportunity to pay tribute to the work of the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, which also carries out important work on tissue and stem cell donation, some of which we heard about last week. The debate also enables us to highlight the really important supporting role that is played by charities such as Give Blood 4 Good in encouraging young people to donate blood. I thank members for their speeches and, in particular, Fulton MacGregor for lodging the motion.
The key priority of the SNBTS is to ensure that the NHS has enough blood to meet the transfusion needs of patients in Scotland. The NHS needs a continuous supply of blood and platelets to keep cancer care services, maternity wards, accident and emergency departments and other life-saving services running.
When someone gives blood, their donation is split into three separate parts: red cells, platelets and plasma. That means that one hour out of their day can help to save or improve the lives of up to three separate people.
To be ready to help Scotland’s patients in that way, the SNBTS aims to retain five to seven days of stock for each blood type at any time. To be able to do that, it absolutely relies on the generosity of the almost 93,670 active blood donors in Scotland who, between them, have made 161,536 donor attendances in the past 12 months. Depending on hospital demand, the SNBTS aims to welcome 483 donors every day. Therefore, every day, blood donors save or improve the lives of people across Scotland.
As of today, blood stocks in Scotland are at satisfactory levels for all blood groups, which is only the case thanks to the work of the SNBTS and the contributions of all our donors. However, blood stocks can fluctuate, particularly over holiday periods, which is why it is important to encourage people who can donate to attend blood-donation sessions.
Everyone can do their bit in that respect. I donated blood in February and September this year at the Edinburgh blood donor centre. I assure colleagues that it is just along the road—less than 10 minutes’ cycle away—and it is open until 7 pm on Parliament sitting days, helpfully. The Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care donated blood in January, too. The timing of that visit was really useful, because it enabled him to support the SNBTS’s blood drive over the winter months. Patients need life-saving blood all year round and, as we all know, the NHS does not stop over winter. The cabinet secretary was able to meet the donor carers and nurses at the centre, along with some donors, and he visited a plasmapheresis donor suite.
As well as in Edinburgh, the SNBTS has donation centres in Glasgow, Aberdeen, Dundee and Inverness, and it runs many community sessions across the country. Donors are asked to make an appointment to give blood to ensure that the SNBTS can help patients better. Managing the number of donors at each session enables the SNBTS to monitor expected stocks of different blood types in advance and adjust plans if needed. The aim of the arrangements is to make it as easy as possible to donate blood.
In addition to blood, the SNBTS is now asking people to donate blood plasma, which is used to produce certain medicines. The medicines can be used to treat more than 50 diseases, including autoimmune diseases and haemolytic disease in babies. There are currently 1,191 plasma donors in Scotland, and the SNBTS hopes to welcome another 1,000 new donors over the course of 2025. Plasma can be donated in any of the SNBTS blood donor centres.
To commemorate world blood donor day this year, the Minister for Public Health and Women’s Health visited the haemophilia, thrombosis and immunology unit at the Royal infirmary of Edinburgh in June. The visit showcased the importance of the SNBTS’s plasma for medicines programme, which is funded by the Scottish Government. During the visit, Ms Minto was able to hear directly from clinicians and patients about the importance of the medicines, and she noted that the visit was very useful in promoting the need for more plasma donors.
As other members have said, the SNBTS saw a decrease in the number of people donating blood following the Covid-19 pandemic. Donor numbers have now begun to rise again, but more donors are still needed to ensure that we can maintain blood supplies at safe levels. New young donors are particularly needed to ensure a sustainable future for the blood donor base in Scotland.