Blood Donation (Hansard, 17 January 1995)

§ 10. Ms Eagle
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what extra level of financing has been agreed by her Department for an advertising campaign by the National Blood Authority to encourage blood donation.

§ Mr. Sackville
National publicity to retain and recruit donors for the national blood service is funded by the Department of Health—in 1993–94, to the extent of £1.6 million. The budget for 1994–95 is £1.2 million. Smaller-scale local publicity is generally funded and organised by the National Blood Authority.

§ Ms Eagle
Does the Minister not realise that recent changes, which have threatened blood transfusion centres with closure, and the evidence that the National Blood Authority is selling blood products, are fatally undermining the contract with donors who freely give their blood? Does he not realise that a Government who believe in putting a price on everything, while knowing the value of nothing and flogging off everything that cannot be nailed down, will ruin our national blood service?

§ Mr. Sackville
The only thing which might have undermined blood donation has been the disgraceful campaign by the hon. Lady and her colleagues to frighten donors, but it has failed to do so. Blood stocks are now at about 15,000 units, and it is a tribute to our loyal donors that they have ignored the rubbish that they have heard from the hon. Lady and her colleagues.

§ Mr. Nigel Evans
My hon. Friend will be aware that I receive many letters from donors who fear that they may 576 not have the opportunity that they currently enjoy to donate their blood at travelling units because of changes to the regional centres. Will he assure the House that, despite changes that may be made to regional centres, people will still be able to enjoy the benefits of attending those mobile units?

§ Mr. Sackville
Only a tiny proportion of blood collection takes place at those centres. The reorganisation is taking place because there is too much capacity in processing and testing. The savings that can be made will be available to improve donor support and recruitment of donors. I give that assurance to my hon. Friend.

§ Mr. Illsley
Does the Minister accept that there is a crisis within the national blood service? He has just quoted a figure of 15,000 units of blood. At yesterday's date—16—January—blood stock levels were 11,939 units, which is below both the figure that he quoted and the service's target figure of 20,000 units. The public are now unwilling to donate blood because the reorganisation proposals are unpopular and because of the increasing commercialisation of the national blood service. Will the Minister now reverse those reorganisation proposals?

§ Mr. Sackville
The latest figure happens to be 14,500 units. For the hon. Gentleman to talk about a crisis in the national blood service is highly irresponsible, as it is designed to frighten donors. Of all that has been said by the Opposition, that is the most disgraceful. It has nothing to do with the NHS but is about making political points.