20,000 DROP IN LONDONERS GIVING BLOOD IN LONDON IN THE LAST YEAR - TEATHER

1.54.51pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 18th Jul 2005

Liberal Democrat London Spokesperson, Sarah Teather MP, today revealed new figures that show a worrying drop in Londoners giving blood. The number of people giving blood has dropped by 20,000 in the last year alone and by 40,000 in the last four years.

Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for London, Sarah Teather MP said:

"Donating blood saves lives, plain and simple. We saw only last week in London how important it can be. At a time when the health service is crying out for more blood donations, much more should be done to encourage Londoners to donate.

"Employers should make it as easy as possible for people to give blood.

"The standards of safety in place around blood donations are very high, but every possible step should be taken to continue to improve safety and efficiency of blood transfusions to ensure confidence is high."