Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department are taking to ensure that people with genetic haemochromatosis are able to register as blood donors with NHS Blood & Transplant.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) encourages patients with genetic haemochromatosis (GH) to donate blood and provides open access for individuals to self-refer. People with GH are important members of the blood donor community, and are welcome to donate blood when they are having their iron levels regularly monitored by their general practitioner or specialist team, are generally fit and well, have no organ or tissue damage and meet the standard donor eligibility criteria and designated donation intervals.

In addition, NHSBT has partnered with Haemochromatosis UK on a new campaign to reach patients with GH and encourage them to donate blood. Campaign materials have been sent out to all Haemochromatosis UK members and hospitals to cascade information to haematology nurses via transfusion practitioners to generate awareness where venesections, a treatment for GH, are taking place.