Swann announces further change to blood donor deferral policy

Health Minister Robin Swann has announced further changes to blood donation deferral rules to allow more people to donate blood.

The Minister’s decision is based on expert advice from the advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) following it’s consideration of a report by the FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) steering group.

The key recommendation which the Health Minister has decided to implement in Northern Ireland is the introduction of individual behavioural based risk assessment that will allow some men who have sex with men (MSM) to donate blood, if they have had one sexual partner who has been their partner for more than three months.

Health Minister Robin Swann said: “I am pleased to be able to introduce this change to donor deferral policy in Northern Ireland, which means MSM in longer-term partnerships will no longer be automatically deferred from donating blood, provided they have been with the same partner for the previous three months and meet the revised medical criteria. 

“I want to see more people able to donate blood, however as Health Minister it is my responsibility to ensure the safety of donated blood. I can reassure you that my decision is guided purely by the science and the advice of the experts at SaBTO, whose core remit is to minimise any health risk from blood.

“My decision to reduce the deferral period for MSM from 12 months to three months earlier this year was based on advice from SaBTO and I am content once again to accept their expert advice on this matter.  SaBTO have provided an assurance that regular monitoring of residual risk of blood-borne infections will continue as normal to ensure that there is no impact on the safe supply of blood to patients.”

The Minister stressed the importance of complying with the donation rules. He said: “Whilst all donated blood is tested for blood borne infections, it is still of paramount importance that all potential donors are honest in their response to the assessment questions and comply with any deferral rules that apply to them.”

Welcoming the announcement, Chief Executive of the NI Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS), Karin Jackson, said: “Introducing new questions to our Donor Health Check will help us to identify lower risk MSM who are eligible to give the gift of blood. I am particularly pleased that the Northern Ireland Health Minister has been able to make this announcement along with the Health Ministers in England, Scotland and Wales. This change will give as many people as possible the opportunity to donate blood, whilst continuing to ensure the safety of patients.”

NIBTS will work with the other UK blood services to make preparations and raise awareness with donors and potential donors about the changes.  It is expected that these changes will come into effect in Summer 2021. 

Notes to editors: 

1. A lifetime ban on blood donation by men who have had sex with men (MSM) was introduced in the UK and many other countries in the 1980s in response to the emergence of AIDS. 
2. In May 2011 the UK expert group on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) concluded that the evidence no longer supported a lifetime ban on blood donation by MSM, and in September 2011 the Health Ministers in England, Scotland and Wales adopted a one-year deferral for MSM. The new policy was introduced in November 2011. In Northern Ireland the lifetime ban on blood donation by MSM remained in place until September 2016.
3. Regarding the safety of donated blood for the recipients, surveillance data from England, Scotland and Wales published in October 2015 confirmed that donated blood was safer four years after the one-year deferral was introduced that it was before the change in policy.
4. In June 2016 the Health Minister at the time, Michelle O’Neill announced the decision that Northern Ireland would lift the lifetime ban on the donation of blood by men who have had sex with men, and would adopt a one-year deferral.  This policy change had the full support of the Northern Ireland Executive and came into effect on 1 September 2016.
5. In June 2017 the committee for the Safety of Blood, Tissue and Organ Donation (SaBTO) published the Donor Selection Criteria Report, which sets out a range of recommendations including some related to high risk behaviours. The purpose of the recommendations is to allow more people to donate blood without affecting the safety of the blood supply.
6. These changes were agreed by the Health Minsters in England, Scotland and Wales. They came into force in the rest of the UK in November 2017. Health Minister Robin Swann considered these SaBTO recommendations in February 2020, shortly after becoming Health Minister, and decided then to adopt the recommendations for Northern Ireland.
7. The FAIR (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) Steering Group was set up at the beginning of 2019 at the request of the Department of Health and Social Care in England (DHSC) to explore whether there is sufficient evidence to change the current blood donor selection policy. The membership includes NHS Blood and Transplant, Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service, the Welsh Blood Service, the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service, Public Health England, the University of Nottingham, the National Aids Trust (NAT), Stonewall, Freedom to Donate, Terrence Higgins Trust (THT), patient and donor representatives, and experts in epidemiology, virology and psychology.
8. The  FAIR report (For the Assessment of Individualised Risk) published Monday 14 December can be found on the Give Blood website. 
9. For media enquiries please contact the DoH Press Office by email: pressoffice@health-ni.gov.uk.
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