Residents in South London can now access free blood-type testing kits as the NHS launches a pilot scheme aimed at encouraging more people to become blood donors.
People in South London can walk into selected Boots pharmacies to find out their likely blood type for free, under a new initiative from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).
The scheme, launched on 2 September, will provide up to 25,000 free self-testing blood-type kits across participating Boots stores in South London and Birmingham. The aim is to encourage more people to discover their blood type, identify potential donors with blood types in high demand, and increase blood donations.
The pilot is particularly seeking more O negative and B negative donors, as well as more donors from Black communities whose blood can be important in providing closely matched transfusions for people living with sickle cell disorder.
Where can South London residents get tested?
The participating South London Boots pharmacies are:
- Boots Brixton Road
449 Brixton Road, London, SW9 8HH - Boots Walworth Road
293 Walworth Road, London, SE17 2TG
People taking part must be aged 17 or over and may be asked additional questions to confirm their eligibility before receiving a kit.
The kit contains the materials needed to carry out a finger-prick test at home. A small drop of blood is placed on a litmus-style test card, which can indicate a person’s likely blood type in around five minutes.
Participants can then use a QR code included with the kit to submit their result and book an appointment to donate blood.
NHSBT stresses that the home test provides an indication rather than a confirmed medical result. Only laboratory testing can definitively establish a person’s blood type. Anyone who proceeds to donate will have their blood type formally confirmed after their first donation.
Why are more blood donors needed?
NHSBT says fewer than half of people know their blood type. It hopes the new testing initiative will make blood donation more accessible and encourage people to register as donors.
Every day, approximately 5,000 blood donations are needed in England to meet hospital demand. The NHS also needs up to 200,000 new donors each year to replace people who stop donating and maintain supplies across different blood groups.
O negative blood is especially important because it can be used in emergencies when a patient’s blood type is not yet known. However, O negative accounts for around 16% of hospital blood orders, while only about 8% of current donors have this blood type.
B negative is also rare, accounting for approximately 2% of current donors.
Both blood types may also be used for people living with sickle cell disorder when blood with the required Ro subtype is not available.
The importance of Black blood donors
The NHS continues to encourage more people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage to donate blood. Blood from donors with similar ethnic backgrounds can be more likely to provide the close matches needed by some patients receiving regular transfusions.
This is particularly important for people living with sickle cell disorder, an inherited condition that can cause severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and other complications.
Some donors may discover additional information about their blood after donating, including whether they have the Ro subtype, which is especially valuable in treating sickle cell patients. Others may learn that they are cytomegalovirus-negative, meaning their blood may be suitable for certain vulnerable patients, including newborn babies.
Altaf Kazi, NHSBT Assistant Director for Partnerships, described the pilot as an opportunity for a quick finger-prick test to begin someone’s journey as a blood donor.
“Giving blood is quick and easy and every donation can help up to three people,” he said.
Heather Elliott, Director of Life Sciences and Clinical Trials at Boots, said the partnership was intended to help people understand the role blood donors play and encourage more people to come forward.
How to become a donor
People interested in donating blood can register and book an appointment through the NHS Blood and Transplant website, the NHS GiveBlood app, or by calling 0300 123 23 23.
For South London residents, the new pharmacy pilot offers a simple starting point, but the wider message from the NHS is that blood supplies must be continually replenished to support emergency treatment, surgery, cancer care, and patients living with long-term conditions.
