Chapter 3

Care and selection of blood donors (including donors of pre-deposit autologous blood)

Introduction

All blood donors in the United Kingdom are non-remunerated volunteer donors. These selection guidelines have two purposes: firstly, to protect donors from any potential harm which may occur as a direct result of the donation process; secondly, to protect recipients of blood transfusions from adverse effects, such as transmission of infectious diseases or other medical conditions and unwanted effects caused by any medications taken by the donor.

The criteria for selecting blood donors apply to donors of whole blood and of components (cells and/or plasma) collected by apheresis. Additional criteria for component donors are detailed in Chapter 6. Guidelines for donors of pre-deposit autologous donations are outlined in Section 3.9. The criteria for donors of stem cells and tissues are found in Chapters 24 and 22.

More detailed and frequently updated criteria are found in the Joint UKBTS/NIBSC Professional Advisory Committee's (JPAC) Donor Selection Guidelines⁽¹⁾ which form a constituent part of this chapter and must be consulted.