UK blood services now assess eligibility on a person-by-person basis, instead of applying across-the-board restrictions that previously excluded potential donors.
Using a donor’s individual experiences to determine whether that person is safe to donate makes the process fairer for all donors. It also means we ask every donor the same questions – regardless of age, sex or sexual orientation.
These changes to the way UK blood services assess the risk of transfusion-transmitted infections incorporate the key recommendations of the 2020 FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) Report. The recommendations are designed to keep the blood supply safe while making blood donation fairer and more accessible to all.
Effective donor selection remains at least as important as the tests we perform on every donation and relies on your honesty in answering the questions and considering your own risk of infection. Our tests are very reliable, but we cannot test for everything, and there is an extremely small chance that we may miss an infection in its early stages. This is why we ask about recent sexual activity that might mean donors are at higher risk of a new infection.
By combining donor questions with state-of-the-art testing, we keep our blood supply
as safe as possible. You should not give blood solely to receive a test. FAIR identifies several factors associated with a higher risk of blood-borne infection, so questions about these are included in our donor health questionnaire.
What questions will I be asked?
Every donor is now asked whether, over the last three months, you have:
- been diagnosed with or treated for (or had sex with someone who had been diagnosed with or was being treated for) a sexually transmitted disease (excluding chlamydia, genital herpes or genital warts)
- taken Pre- or Post-Exposure Prophylaxis for HIV (PrEP or PEP)
- taken part in chemsex (Chemsex is a specific type of sexual activity where people take certain stimulant drugs to let them have sex for longer and with more people. Drugs associated with chemsex include methamphetamine, mephedrone and GHB).
If you answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you are not eligible to give blood for up to three months.If you have had the PrEP injection (as opposed to oral PEP or PrEP), you are not eligible to donate for two years
You are also asked whether, over the last three months, you have:
- had sex with someone new, or resumed a previous or infrequent sexual relationship
- had sex with more than one person
If you answer ‘yes’ to either (or both) questions, you are then asked if you had anal sex with any of your sexual partners.
- If you have, you are not able to donate for up to three months.
- If you haven’t had anal sex, you are able to donate (subject to all other eligibility criteria).
We understand that being asked about specific sexual practices is something you may be unused to or find embarrassing. However, we hope you understand the need for these questions.
The FAIR questions are all included in the scotblood.co.uk ‘Can I give blood?’ quiz. We recommend having a quick run through these questions every time you prepare to give blood.
Do you have any concerns around your sexual health after answering these questions?
We work in partnership with sexual health
professionals to promote greater awareness of how to manage your sexual health and wellbeing.
If you are affected by any of the issues raised by this leaflet, or simply want to find out more, the following websites provide more information
- FAIR co.uk
- NHS Inform scot
- Scotland’s Service scot/
- Directory scotlands-service-directory
- Waverley Care org
- Scottish Drugs Forum org.uk
- Know The Score info
What will we do with the information you give us?
The information you give us is not linked to any other NHS or clinical records. All our staff are trained in confidentiality, and personal information is kept secure and only shared with other organisations if needed to deliver our service.givebloodforscotland @givebloodscot givebloodscotland
This publication can be made available in large print, braille (English only), audio tape and different languages. Please contact nss.equalitydiversity@nhs.scot for further information.
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Published September 2025
We keep a record of all donors, donations and test results. We keep information about donors and donations for at least 30 years. You can find out more including information about your rights by searching ‘data protection’ at scotblood.co.uk or in our data protection leaflet.
Thank you for giving blood. Together we can save lives.
t: 0345 90 90 999 e: nss.snbtsenquiry@nhs.scot w: scotblood.co.uk