Before donating blood...

Please ensure that you: 

• Wait until you are fully recovered from a cough, cold or sore throat - what may mildly affect you, could seriously harm a patient.

• Eat a meal and drink lots of water or fruit juice before coming in to donate. This will reduce the possibility of you experiencing after-effects from donating (e.g. fainting) and will assist in a better blood flow at the time of donation.

• If you have given blood before, please bring in your donor card with you every time you donate. This will save you time because the card contains your personal donor number which enables the Blood Service to access your records quickly.