Rebecca Harris MP attended the Plasma Awareness Parliamentary Event this week, hosted by NHS Blood and Transplant with Societi – The UK Kawasaki Disease Foundation and Immunodeficiency UK. She is supporting the Plasma Donation Campaign which runs from 22nd-28th April 2024.

Rebecca said ‘I am pleased to be supporting NHS England’s Plasma Donation Campaign – This is a really important campaign and something that we can all do to help better protect and treat some of the most vulnerable people in our society. The process is quick and easy and you get supported every step of the way – Please get donating!’

NHS Blood and Transplant are on a mission to ensure England is self-sufficient in plasma medicines, Immunoglobin and Albumin, so patients can access these important treatments.

The NHS has not been able to produce its own medicine from UK plasma for the last 25 years following an MHRA ban put in place in the late 1990s over fears of Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). Since then, we have relied upon imports from other countries. However, in April 2021, following new scientific evidence, the MHRA lifted the ban on the use of UK plasma for the manufacture of immunoglobin and Albumin. It is vital that we now become self-sufficient in the production of plasma so that we can provide the most vulnerable people in our society with the life-saving treatment they desperately need. Around 17,000 people a year in England currently need this treatment.

NHS England is looking towards a current target of 30% self-sufficiency to save and improve the lives of patients, around 870 litres per week from April 2024. Plasma makes up around 55% of your blood and there are currently 3 centres dedicated to collecting it – Birmingham, Reading and Twickenham. Rebecca heard that their target for 2024/25 will aim to encourage 5,000 blood donors to switch to donating plasma, whilst recruiting an additional 1,500 people to register as new plasma donors – encouraging all of them to donate six times in twelve months.

• 1,200 plasma donations will treat someone with haemophilia for 1 year.
• 130 plasma donations will treat someone with primary immunodeficiency for 1 year.
• 465 plasma donations will treat someone with chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy treatment for 1 year.
• 900 donations will treat someone with alpha-1 antitrypsin deficiency for 1 year

To find out more information about donating follow this link - www.blood.co.uk/plasma/how-to-donate-plasma/