Boots UK is this year supporting the Missing Type campaign for new blood donors.  For the first time, Boots will remove the Os from its iconic logo – one of the letters of blood groups - to draw attention to the importance of blood donors. To celebrate the National Health Blood and Transfusion service’s campaign, Boots’ 60,000 colleagues across the UK are encouraged and supported to sign up to the donor register, demonstrating its aim to help the nation be happy and healthy.  

There are eight main blood groups – A positive, A negative, B positive, B negative, AB positive, AB negative, O positive and O negative. O negative is the universal blood type which means O negative red cells can be used to treat patients of all blood groups.

This year’s Missing Type campaign – first held by NHS Blood and Transplant in 2015 - brings together 25 blood services from 21 countries to call for new donors to ensure blood donation for future generations.

Throughout the campaign As, Bs and Os are disappearing in everyday and iconic locations around the world including America, Australia, Japan and Ireland. Patients from around the world have thanked blood donors in a moving video and famous names in participating nations are backing the campaign.

In England, there is a particular need for more young blood donors and more black and Asian donors, and more donors with O negative and A negative blood.

Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist at Boots UK comments;  “We’re really delighted to support this year’s Missing Type campaign and we hope that our colleagues and customers will join us and help ‘fill in the gaps’ by registering as new donors. Every donation helps and could save up to three people’s lives.

“It is in fact our policy that if colleagues want to give blood but cannot find time outside of their working hours, we support them to attend their appointment during working hours.

“Also our customers can opt in to the Organ Donation scheme via their Boots Advantage Card; already a fantastic 2.09 million customers have signed up with their Boots Advantage Card. 

“At Boots UK we have supported the campaign through a series of internal events which demonstrate how quick and easy it is for employees to register and give blood. In addition, we are encouraging our customers to follow suit and sign up to #MissingType via our social media channels and Boots Advantage Card.”

Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant, the service that collects tests and processes blood for hospitals across England, comments: “Blood donation is an amazing gift and we are really grateful to Boots UK for their support.

“Thanks to the generosity of our current donors, hospitals have the blood needed to treat patients and there is not a crisis in blood stocks. Despite overall blood use in hospitals declining, we need more people to start giving blood to replace those who can no longer donate and to ensure we have the right mix of blood groups to match patient needs in the future.

“We need more young donors to help ensure the future of blood donation. We also particularly need more donors from Black African, Black Caribbean, mixed race, Arab and South Asian heritage to become blood donors to reflect the ethnic diversity of patients.

“Don’t worry if you’ve never given blood before and don’t know what blood group you are – you find out shortly after your first donation. What’s important is that you register as a donor and book your first appointment to donate.”

•          To sign up as a new donor, visit: www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.
•          Support the campaign on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram #MissingType.