What Happens When You Give Blood

What Happens When You Give Blood

I want to give blood, what do I do?

First of all, call 13 14 95 to make an appointment. When you call, one of our friendly staff will also ask you a few pre-screening questions to evaluate whether you meet the main criteria to give blood. Your ultimate eligibility is determined on donation day.

The Medical Questionnaire has to be completed prior to each donation. It covers health, lifestyle and medical questions used to assess your eligibility to donate, and to ensure the donation is safe for both you and for recipients. All information provided is strictly confidential.Donation Day

The Blood Service wants you to have a safe and pleasant experience when donating blood. Please ensure that you drink plenty of fluids (at least four glasses) in the hours leading up to your donation and that you eat something healthy and substantial beforehand.

Arrival at the donor centre

When you arrive you will have to show some proof of identification. Once you are registered you will be asked to fill out a medical questionnaire. Remember, if you are 16 or 17 years of age you must have parental consent (except in Tasmania and the Northern Territory where you are required to be 18 years of age).

Health check

After you have completed the medical questionnaire, you will have the opportunity to discuss it in greater detail with one of our nurses during a confidential interview. The nurse will also check your haemoglobin (iron level) and blood pressure to ensure that you are in a healthy state when you give blood.

Blood donation

The donation generally takes between 8 and 12 minutes and you usually donate 470 ml of blood. Oh yes, the needle. It really is no big deal - pinch the inside of your elbow to feel what it is like.

After the donation

Relax and enjoy the refreshments on offer and remember to take it easy for the next 24 hours. Drink lots of fluid and your blood will be fully restored after 48 hours.

It is recommended that donors avoid vigorous use of their arm for a few hours after donating. Additionally, alcohol should be avoided for at least eight hours.

Many donors have a feeling of accomplishment and self -satisfaction after the donation. We're proud of you too. With every donation you can save up to three lives or contribute to 15 different forms of life saving or life improving blood products.

How long does the whole donation process take?

Differing from centre to centre the whole process from entering until leaving, allowing sufficient time for relaxation will take between 45 to 90 minutes. So it is best to allow 90 minutes for your first donation and you will see from there.

Donor safety

Everything the Blood Service uses is sterile, used only once and then disposed of safely. Australia has one of the safest systems for collecting and distributing blood in the world