Plea for more than 500 donors to come forward for the Inverness blood bank

More than 500 blood donors are urgently needed in Inverness.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has issued a plea for help in a bid to prevent running out of supplies.

A spokeswoman said: “SNBTS need to welcome at least 560 blood donors through the doors at the Inverness Blood Donor Centre throughout June to help sustain current blood stocks.

“As lockdown has eased, the demand for blood has increased. We’ve added in some additional sessions throughout the month to allow us to accommodate this, however we’ve still got lots of appointments available that we need to fill.”

She continued: “If you’ve had the vaccine as part of the UK vaccination programme, you can book in to give blood eight days after your jab. You also have to be recovered from any reaction to the vaccine.

“If you’ve had a vaccine as part of a clinical trial you might have to wait longer to donate. Please get in touch with us to find out.

“If you’ve got a date for your vaccination, please don’t delay it in order to give blood – we’ll be happy to wait a little longer for your donation. Just let us know by calling 0345 90 90 999 if you need to cancel your blood donation appointment.”

The Inverness Blood Donor Centre will be held in Raigmore Hospital every Monday and Thursday with extra sessions on Wednesday June 9, 16 and 23.

Sessions are run by appointment. To book a place call 0345 90 90 999 on Monday to Friday between 9am and 5pm.

People can donate whether or not they have had their Covid vaccination.

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