Blood donors refused because they have trouble using the NHS's new online booking system

Lifelong blood donors are being turned back to the center because of a new online NHS booking system that has "caused chaos," he emerged.

The agency Blood and Transplant has set up a model by appointment, which no longer gives priority to visits without an appointment, after removing "vans mobile" for blood, who went to the streets and workplaces.

The revelation came a few days after the figures revealed that the number of male donors had decreased worryingly by a quarter in five years (466,346 in 2013/14 to 350,425 by 2018/19). ).

Members of the public who are used to donating blood over the decades now claim that the online system is difficult to use, oversubscribed, or that they would only show up to find that their appointment was canceled, according to the Daily Telegraph.

The Blood and Transplant said they always took phone bookings.

Tim Grimes, 69, of Macclesfield, Cheshire, who donated blood for nearly 50 years, said he had come forward to find that his appointment had been canceled.

"The system has made donations more and more difficult, as they were doing us a favor," Grimes told the Telegraph.

"I recently received a call inviting me to donate because my blood type was inadequate, but they could not give me an appointment in my usual center until October.

Charities described the situation as "crazy" and said the NHS needed to do more to help the elderly, who make up a considerable share of donations.

Roger Gilbert, 47, of Cuffley, in Herts, said he would gladly join the queue when he saw a donations unit, his sisters and father having both been badisted by transfusions.

But when he signed up for Blood.co.uk, he found that all the local slot machines were reserved, but he attended an available date because he thought he could wait for his tower.

But it is alleged that the staff told him that they were only dealing with online appointments and that he should wait at least two hours to be potentially seen.

"I do not use" smartphone "and I can only badume that the available appointments are seized by those who do," he said.

Health leaders have called for more men to donate after the announcement of the dramatic drop in the number of donors.

Women now make up about two-thirds of new donors.

NHS Blood and Transplant have announced that they have adopted the new system because it better meets the demand for specific types of blood with needs.

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation for NHS Blood and Transplant admitted that two-thirds of new donors were women and that it required more men to cope with the worrisome decline in the long run.

"Routine blood donations are now mostly done by appointment because they help us collect the types of blood that hospitals need," said Stredder, defending the changes.

"If we need more than 0 negative, for example, we can adjust our application and our website so that the O negative donors have priority. Appointments also help us reduce the waiting time of donors. Donors can always make an appointment by telephone on our dedicated donor line at 0300 123 23 23.

"People are now being asked to set their own appointments online, rather than re-booking them in-session, as we find that they are more likely to respect their appointments and make them happen. know they're not able to do it. keep their appointments.

"The donor also has the advantage of seeing all the appointments available in all sessions, which gives them more choice than just the session they just had.

"We are extremely grateful to our donors who are saving lives and we know that some of the changes we have made to respond to the changing demands can be frustrating."