The Welsh Blood Service (WBS) is committed to providing a sufficient and safe supply of blood components to meet the needs of patients. In order to do so we rely upon the altruistic nature and complete honesty of our blood donors. Patients have a right to receive safe blood and the WBS has an obligation to minimise the transmission of infectious diseases. These rights and obligations override any other consideration, including an individual’s willingness to donate blood.
Safety measures to protect patients must be proportionate and appropriate information must be provided so that affected parties understand why they are not permitted to donate blood.
The WBS recognises that the permanent exclusion of men who have ever had sex with another man from donating blood is a sensitive issue that requires engagement and communication to establish a shared understanding and mutual respect.
The WBS is sympathetic to the concerns of men who have had sex with other men and who may want to give blood to help patients, and we recognise that they are disappointed and frustrated at what may be perceived as discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation.
The attached Position Paper and Frequently Asked Questions give more detailed information regarding the exclusion of men who have sex with other men and also discusses the HIV risk amongst the heterosexual population.
The Velindre NHS Trust, of which the WBS are a Division, has an Diversity and Equality Manager who works very closely with the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transsexual (LGBT) community in Wales and also with all Trust staff to improve understanding and awareness of these difficult issues. In November 2006 the WBS took part in a South East Wales LGBT Forum debate on this very issue. The debate included representatives from the National Union of Students LGBT and from the Terence Higgins Trust. It was agreed that the debate had been informative and had resulted in a constructive discussion of this sensitive issue. It was also recognised that there was continuing need for communication and engagement between the LGBT community and the WBS. Consequently, in 2007 our donor-facing nursing staff took part in awareness training, provided in part by Safer Wales, an organisation who run inter-active workshops to help our staff to better understand the issues faced by the LGBT community.
All Trust staff receive mandatory training in Diversity and Equality in which they are reminded that they have a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that they treat all people fairly and with the respect that they would expect to be shown themselves.
The Trust continues to positively engage with the LGBT community and welcomes constructive dialogue that would assist any potential donor in understanding why we are unable to accept their very generous offer to donate blood for the benefit of others.
If you need information regarding the Trust’s equality and diversity policy please contact:
Ceri Harris
Diversity and Equality Manager
Velindre NHS Trust
Unit 2 Charnwood Court,
Parc Nantgarw,
Nantgarw,
Cardiff.
CF15 7QZ
Tel no: 029 20615888 (ext: 6557)
If you need information specific to the donation of blood please contact:
Welsh Blood Service
Ely Valley Road
Talbot Green
CF72 9WB
Telephone: 0800 252266 (Freephone)
For more information please click here:
Leaflet (111kb, PDF will open in a new window)
Position Statement: April 2008 (45kb, PDF will open in a new window)