Donors to receive text message when their blood is dispatched to hospital

Blood donors are to be sent a text message to alert them when their blood has been shipped to a hospital for use, officials have said.

The new texting system aims to show donors across England how "vital" their donations are, NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said.

Donors will be told when their blood has been dispatched and the name of the hospital where it has been sent.

Announcing the initiative on World Blood Donor Day, NHSBT said it is hoped the new service will help encourage current donors to continue to give blood as well as inspire others to donate.

"We are always looking at new ways to encourage donation and we hope that the new texting service will show how vital blood donations are used to help people in need," said Mike Stredder, director of blood donation at NHS Blood and Transplant.

"While donors don't get to meet the people who have benefited from their blood, our texts to donors will remind them that hospitals, and patients, rely on their donations."

:: To find out more about blood donation, visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.