Campaigners have welcomed relaxation changes to the donor health check questionnaire made by NHS blood and transplant changing blood donation across the UK to allow more gay and bisexual men to be able to donate.
The new criteria now focuses on an individual’s behaviour, lifting the nationwide ban for any men who have had sex with men in the last three months. Men who have sex with men in a long-term relationship will now be able to donate blood at any time.
The For the Assessment of Individualised Risk (Fair) steering group is a collaboration of UK blood services and LGBTQ+ charities. The group conducted extensive research into the risks associated with more individualised blood donor selection policies alongside NHS Blood and Transplant.
Fair proposed the idea, in a report published on December 14, of moving away from the previously implemented rule of a three month long deferral for men who have had sex with other men.
Instead, Fair have opted for identifying what they call a wider range of “high risk behaviours” which will apply to all blood donors, regardless of their sexuality and gender.
The group states that these changes will still maintain a “world-leading” safe supply of blood in the UK.
NHS Blood and Transplant, a blood and transplantation service to the NHS, are in charge of looking after blood donation services and transplant services across the UK, have welcomed Fair’s recommendations.
NHS Blood and Transplant have stated that donors will no longer be asked to declare if they have had sex with another man. This new criteria for blood donation will increase gender neutral inclusivity.
There will be changes to the donor health check questionnaire, where new behaviour-based questions will assess the risk of the potential donors.
These considerations will be weighed against high-risk sexual behaviours such as having multiple partners or taking part in “chemsex” – a drug used during sex.
Dr Michael Brady, medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust, released a statement welcoming the change.
He said: “There is certainly more work to do and we will continue to work to ensure that our blood donation service is inclusive, evidence based and both maximises the numbers who can donate while ensuring our blood supply is safe.”
“We welcome changes include the differentiation between oral and anal sex, and for those whose partner is HIV positive and virally suppressed due to six months or more of adherence to treatment.”
Before the new rules all men whom had sex with other men were asked to abstain from sex for three months in order to be allowed to donate.
The UK government has now acknowledged that “all donors” have the potential to carry infections, including heterosexual men and women.
The UK Government claimed the UK to be one of the first countries in the world to adopt a “more individualised risk-based approach” to donor selection criteria.
The changes being implemented in the summer of 2021 will allow more men to be able to give blood.
Donation based on your behaviour, NOT your sexuality. This is a HUGE step in the right direction (well done @FreedomToDonate!).
We still have a bit of work to ensure the system is completely fair, but this means that many people who could not donate, now can! ❤️ https://t.co/4Uiia43qJP— Ranj Singh (@DrRanj) December 15, 2020
Caption: Dr Ranj Singh welcomed the changes and shared his excitement on twitter.
Dr Michael Brady, medical director at Terrence Higgins Trust, released a statement welcoming the change.
He said: “There is certainly more work to do and we will continue to work to ensure that our blood donation service is inclusive, evidence based and both maximises the numbers who can donate while ensuring our blood supply is safe.”
“We welcome changes include the differentiation between oral and anal sex, and for those whose partner is HIV positive and virally suppressed due to six months or more of adherence to treatment.”
After the announcements, comedian Joe Lycett, who was involved with the campaign group Freedom to Donate, wrote on twitter: “This is smashing news to wake up to. Congratulations to @FreedomToDonate and everyone who campaigned for it.”
During the coronavirus pandemic, The Indepentent reported ministers were being urged to scrap “outdated” restrictions regarding gay and bisexual men donating blood and antibodies to help vaccine research.
The current rules regarding three months of celibacy also applied to donations of plasma which were essential to research and recovery from Covid-19.
Ethan Spibey, from Freedom to Donate, said gay and bisexual men were being ignored despite the need for 68,000 new male donors this year alone. The group have been campaigning for the new changes since 2017.