Travel-related restrictions and haemoglobin tests for blood donations

That this House celebrates the opening of the new Brixton Blood Donation Centre, which has welcomed over 3,700 donors in its first three months of operation, including more than 1,000 first-time donors and 10 per cent identifying as Black; recognises this as a promising step towards improving the diversity of the donor pool; notes with concern that this progress remains insufficient in the face of rising demand for the Ro blood subtype commonly found in people of African descent, which is essential for treating sickle cell anaemia, the fastest-growing genetic condition in the UK, with usage increasing by 15 per cent annually; is aware that only 2 per cent of regular blood donors currently have the Ro subtype; further notes that many willing donors, particularly of African and Caribbean heritage, are being turned away due to travel deferral rules due to the presence of diseases which can be tested for and iron testing protocols that are not precise and reject a number of Black women from donating for low iron levels when a further test could be done; acknowledges the importance of maintaining a safe blood supply, but stresses that outdated and overly restrictive guidelines are excluding healthy donors and putting patients’ lives at risk; and calls on the Government, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and NHS Blood and Transplant to urgently review travel-related deferral policies and haemoglobin thresholds in line with the latest scientific evidence and international practice, including the use of more accurate, population-sensitive testing methods.