A new Blood Donor Centre has opened at Westfield London Shopping Centre, Shepherd’s Bush.
The new premises, which contains six beds, is on the first floor between M&S and The Village, and will book around 170 appointments per day.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) Regional Donor Marketing Operations Manager Daniel Clarke said: “We already have a good number of loyal donors in the city, but we know there is the potential to attract more. Westfield is the largest retail destination in Europe and by placing our new Shepherd’s Bush Donor Centre in it we hope to collect even more lifesaving donations in London.”
During lockdown, donating blood is permitted as essential travel for a medical need, and extra safety measures have been put in place.
The new centre is aiming to collect over 19,400 donations each year to meet hospital demand. Each donor has the potential to save or improve up to three lives with every donation.
Clarke added:“Safety at collection centres is our number one priority. We’re spacing donors out and doing extra cleaning. Our staff are wearing masks and we’re triaging everyone, which includes a temperature check so only people with no risk factors can enter the donation area. We are also asking donors to wear their own face coverings to protect other donors and our staff.”
Katie Wyle, General Manager Westfield London said: “The vital service will hugely benefit the local community to help save lives. I’m very proud of our onsite team who has worked hard to support the delivery of the new Blood Donor Centre which launched to the public this week. This follows the successful partnership we have established with the NHS and NHSBT to open a COVID Vaccination Centre and Plasma Donor Centre at Westfield Stratford City as well as the Hammersmith & Fulham Rapid Flow Testing Centre at Westfield London”.
Donors can book an appointment to give blood at the new Shepherd’s Bush centre by calling 0300 123 23 23 or via www.blood.co.uk
