Donor health check questionnaire

In April 2022, we adjusted the way we ask some questions on the Donor Health Check questionnaire.

We have subsequently updated this by adding an instruction "If not applicable, please tick 'no'" to the question relating to recent pregnancy. Prior to April 2022, all donors were asked the same questions, apart from two which were for 'women only.' We no longer specify questions with all donors now asked the same questions.

A donor should not give blood when pregnant, or within six months of being pregnant. This gives time for the donor to replace the iron in their blood and is a donor safety measure. If a donor has received certain fertility treatments, they are also unable to donate for patient safety reasons. We do not verbally ask the questions, but we do ask all donors to tick a box on the questionnaire. Although not all questions are relevant to all donors, selectively asking questions of some donors and not others adds complexity and risk of error in the donor selection process and we always strive to avoid this in a blood donation environment.