MEN who donate blood can now do so more often – thanks to ground-breaking new guidelines which could produce thousands of extra pints each year.

The policy change follows a review of practice from other countries such as Italy and Spain where men are allowed to donate more frequently.

“This has shown to be safe for men, so we have decided to implement this change for our male donors to give four times in 12 months, as long as they wait 12 weeks between donations,” explained a regional spokesman for National Health Service Blood Transport (NHSBT).

“This could mean a potential 100,000 extra units of blood could be donated by men every year to help save and improve the lives of thousands of people across the country every day.”

Michael Ward, from Bournemouth, who has been donating since 1976 welcomed the news.

“I find it quite easy to fit in giving blood and it’s a good excuse to finish work earlier! If you can donate three times a year – just go a step further – you know it makes sense!”

Women can still only donate every 16 weeks, which equates to three times in 12 months, as they have lower levels of stored iron.

Anne Sheldon, head of nursing at NHSBT, explained: “By offering men the chance to donate more often, we have the potential to increase regular blood stocks which is a great step forward in meeting the 7,000 units needed every day to meet hospital demands.

“We need to make sure that this is done safely though which is why we've introduced this for men, but not women. Female donors do not have the same levels of stored iron as male donors for lots of reasons. This means that they cannot donate as often as men because if they do it may put them at risk of anaemia and NHSBT will never risk the health of donors.”

Who can donate

MOST people aged between 17 – 65 and in good health could potentially start saving lives by becoming a blood donor.

There is no upper age limit for donors who have donated in the last two years.

To support the Echo’s Mine’s A Pint campaign call 0300 123 23 23 or visit blood.co.uk.

Please don’t forget to quote the Echo’s campaign code: Z76.