Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps her Department is taking to help encourage more people to become blood donors in Stockport.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is responsible for raising awareness of blood donation in England to make sure blood components are available at the right time, including platelet and plasma components and plasma for medicines. They do this through a range of local and national media, marketing activity, donor and patient case studies, partnerships, and engagement with faith organisations, including work within Greater Manchester. NHSBT continues to invest and prioritise the diversification of the donor base to better support the changing demographics of National Health Service patients and help reduce health disparities. Since September 2021, the science relating to blood, organ, and stem cell donation forms part of the secondary school curriculum in England, aimed at promoting awareness in young people.