Updated : June 2023

The Welsh Blood Service accept blood donations from people with genetic haemochromatosis pre-maintenance, subject to their established eligibility criteria.

• if you have genetic haemochromatosis, you can ask your hospital consultant or healthcare professional to refer you to WBS as a GH donor.
• you can become a donor if you are 17 or over
  
  • If you are are between 66 and 70 years old, you must have given at least one successful donation or venesection previously.
  • If you are over 70 you must have given a successful donation or venesection in the last 2 years.
• You must have no evidence of organ damage (eg cardiomyopathy, liver cirrhosis, diabetes etc)
• You must not be receiving chelation therapy
• You must not have had an adverse reaction to venesection in the past e.g. fainting
• your consultant is willing to supervise your care (as WBS do not monitor iron levels) and can specify to WBS the donation frequency
• your consultant has completed a GH donor referral form and you have completed a patient consent declaration
• Patients within the therapeutic as well as maintenance phases of their treatment are accepted, provided you meet the criteria above and are otherwise well, at a minimum donation interval of every 2 weeks.
• There may be a delay between initial referral and an appointment being offered at a WBS venue
• Appointments are available at locations in Wales, only.

How do I register as a GH donor and book a blood donation session?

If you live in Wales, contact your hospital consultant and ask them to complete the necessary referral forms. If you are accepted for donation, the Welsh Blood Service will contact you directly to arrange an appointment. 

We hope this scheme will be value to many members. If you can, please get involved! 

Our charity is monitoring the progress of this scheme, closely. If you'd like to share your experiences of this scheme, please complete our 2 minute survey.

2-minute Survey