How One Day in Central Square Is Helping Rewrite the Story of UK Plasma
By Neil Mistry, Regional Engagement Manager at NHS Blood & Transplant
This week, our Birmingham-based NHS Blood and Transplant Engagement team packed up their bags and headed to Central Square, Brindleyplace for a multi-product donor event unlike any other.
As the culmination of a two year relationship that we hope will lead to many further opportunities with not just Praxis Real Estate and Brindleyplace, but occupiers like Unity Trust Bank too, the goal this week was simple: meet the Brindleyplace community, talk about blood and plasma, and sign up as many new donors as possible.
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Central Square to find out their blood type, ask questions and sign up to donate.
Matt Long, Senior Asset Manager for Praxis at Brindleyplace, said: “This event is the result of a two year long relationship and lots of hard work between the management team, occupiers from across the estate and their people, and the NHS Blood and Transplant Engagement team who do so much to find new as well as recurring donors.”
And the result? Well, by the end of the day, the numbers spoke for themselves.
35 new donors enrolled on the spot, and a third of them had already booked their first appointment before they left the square.
That is 35 more people who will soon either be helping to make life-saving medicines or saving a life through blood donation here in the UK.
Why one day in Brindleyplace matters so much
It might seem like a single afternoon of chatting to shoppers and office workers, but events like this sit at the heart of a much bigger mission.
For the last five years, NHS Blood and Transplant has been building the UK’s capability to collect plasma (which is in your blood) and turn it into life-saving medicines.
For too long we have been 100% reliant on these medicines being imported, mainly from the USA, to meet patient demand.
We are now in a position to reduce that reliance with plasma derived medicinal products made from the plasma of donors from across the UK.
In March 2025, that work reached a milestone: for the first time in 25 years, NHS patients began receiving life-saving medicines made from plasma donated right here in England.
And the scale of that demand is enormous.
Every year, over 17,000 people in England depend on immunoglobulin treatments, and more than 50,000 rely on albumin.
Immunoglobulins support patients with immune deficiencies and rare disorders, while albumin is used in trauma care, burns treatment, childbirth and liver disease; increasingly these medicines are being used in cancer care too. Some of those people will be your colleagues, neighbours, friends or family.
Every new donor recruited in Brindleyplace this week brings us one step closer to being able to produce more of these medicines ourselves, reducing our reliance on other countries and building a more resilient supply for NHS patients.
The little-known facts about ‘liquid gold’
Plasma makes up 55% of your blood, and it is one of the most remarkable substances the human body produces. It carries proteins, nutrients and hormones around your body, helps control blood pressure, and plays a critical role in clotting.
A few facts our team loves sharing with new donors:
- You can only donate whole blood three to four times a year, but because your body replaces plasma so quickly, you can donate plasma every two weeks.
- A single plasma donation can provide between 560 and 800 millilitres, compared to around 270 millilitres recovered from a blood donation.
- It takes around 130 plasma donations to treat one person with primary immunodeficiency for a year, and 1,200 donations to treat someone with haemophilia for the same period.
- Plasma-derived medicines can treat more than 50 different conditions, from immune deficiencies to liver disease.
The people behind the numbers
Behind every donation statistic is a real family.
Fourteen year old George and his younger brother Artie both live with Primary Immunodeficiency, a rare condition that makes it harder for their bodies to fight infection.
Both boys rely on regular immunoglobulin treatment made from donated plasma. Before treatment, Artie often lacked the energy to join in with sport or play with his friends.
Today, thanks to plasma-derived medicine, he plays rugby, football and takes part in school sports like any other teenager.
Last summer, George ran 5km every day for 25 days, covering 125km in total, to raise awareness of blood and plasma donation.
He continues to speak in colleges about his condition, hoping to inspire the next generation of donors.
Stories like George and Artie’s are exactly why days like our Brindleyplace event matter.
Every donor who signs up is helping to make sure treatments remain available for the children and adults who need them.
Thank you, Brindleyplace
A huge thank you to everyone who stopped by Central Square to find out their blood type, ask questions and sign up to donate.
If you were inspired by the day but did not get the chance to sign up, it is definitely not too late.
We have dedicated plasma donation centres in Birmingham, Reading and Twickenham, and every new donor helps us move closer to our goal of collecting one million litres of plasma every year by 2036.
Whether you choose to donate blood or plasma directly, you could be the reason someone gets the treatment they need.
Find your nearest centre and book your appointment today.
If you’d like to be involved or would like further information on blood and plasma donation, please send an email to: ceplasma@nhsbt.nhs.uk
Above all, a big thank you to everyone who came and talked to us at Brindleyplace
