What Happens When I Donate Blood?
Want to donate? You must:
- be 16 years or older (in Tas& NT you need to be 18)
- weight at least 45 kilos
- be in good health
- be feeling fit and healthy.
Donating Blood
Roll your mouse over the scenarios to see what happens at each step:
Drink and Eat
For the 2-4 hours before you donate you need to have a good meal and drink lots of water. This will help the process of donating and help you feel good afterwards.
Save a life or maybe 3!
Due to modern processing we can separate blood into its various components and make up to 20 different products. This means every donation can help as many as 3 different people.
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Arrive and answer some questions
You will be asked to fill out a questionnaire that asks you general questions about your health. All the answers to these questions are completely confidential. They will help us to make sure it is safe for you to donate and for someone to receive your blood.
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Chat to a Nurse
A nurse will chat with you about your questionnaire and answer any questions you have. Your blood pressure will be taken and your finger will be pricked to test the iron levels in your blood. This test makes sure that you are able to donate safely.
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Give up your blood
You will then be taken to our donation area to lie on one of our comfy beds while is your blood is taken. This bit takes only 5-10 minutes.
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Chill out
Relax in our refreshment area and have a snack and drink on us. You will need to rest for about 15 minutes before you leave. Congratulate yourself – in just one hour of your time you have helped up to three people!
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Your blood is tested
To protect people who will receive your blood, your donation is tested for HIV 1 & 2, Hep B & C, HTLV 1 & 2, and Syphilis.