NHS appeal for 'free' blood donor buildings in West Berkshire

The health service is being charged thousands of pounds a year to host blood donor sessions in the district

THE NHS is having to fork out thousands of pounds a year to host blood donor sessions in West Berkshire due to a lack of community centres that offer free use of their facilities.

A Freedom of Information request by the Newbury Weekly News shows that village halls, centres and sports venues across the district are collectively charging the NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) thousands.

Newbury Racecourse charges a minimum of £600 per day – the highest day rate for any community-based centre in West Berkshire – for hosting a blood donor session over an 11-hour period on the ground floor of its Berkshire Stand.

Newbury Rugby Club charges the second-highest amount in the district for the day rental of its Kickers Bar in its clubhouse, at a minimal price of £210.

But both venues say they these are heavily discounted rates owing to the important nature of the work.

The Cornwell Centre in Tilehurst was the most frequently used community-based venue in West Berkshire for the collection of blood in 2018.

The centre was used 10 times by the NHS last year, charging £144.92 per nine-hour session (11.30am until 8.35pm), a total of £1,449.20.

NHSBT is now appealing for more community-based centres across the district to hire out their venues for the collection of blood free of charge.

Currently, there are no community-based venues in West Berkshire that do not charge the NHSBT for hosting sessions.

It is not uncommon for community-based venues to charge the non-departmental public body for the hiring of their venues, with NHSBT acknowledging that a “high percentage” around the country do so.

Newbury Fire Station is one of the few places in West Berkshire that does not charge to hostblood donor sessions.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Greenham also offers its facilities free of charge.

Both locations have partnerships with NHSBT as part of the body’s Venue Improvement Project, which seeks alternative free-of-charge venues to reduce the cost of venue hire, so that the NHS can keep the blood cost to hospitals as low as possible.

According to NHSBT, centres usually fix their charges depending on several factors, such as travel time from the team base and equipment set-up time at the venue.

On average, a venue is hired for nine hours, for a session between four to five-and-a-half hours.

Regional head of blood donor recruitment for NHSBT Mark Bailey said: “We’re searching for partners who do not charge us venue hire to collect blood.

“Our strategy is to gradually move all our mobile donation sessions to venues that do not charge us.

“Each year, we spend around £4m on venue hire for blood donation sessions.

“We have partnerships with the Church of Latter-Day Saints and the Fire and Rescue Service and are very thankful that they allow us to collect lifesaving blood donations for free in many towns and cities.

“If venues host us for free, or at a reduced amount, that helps keep costs as low as possible for the wider NHS.

“Our life-saving donors give their time and their donations for free. We’re now seeking partners who will do the same.”

A spokesperson from Newbury Racecourse, which held a blood donor session last month, said: “Newbury Racecourse recognises the importance of this work and therefore they [the NHSBT] were given an 80 per cent reduction on the standard hire rate of the area.

“As a commercial business, with a large number of conferences and events taking place throughout the year, there are always costs associated when opening up buildings for event use, but on this occasion we were more than happy to provide a heavily discounted rate for such a good cause.”

With eight more sessions scheduled at the racecourse for 2019, the total amount NHSBT will pay the venue is expected to be in the region of £5,400.

In a statement, Newbury Rugby Club said it charged for room hire accordingly and that the club has been working with the blood donation side of the NHS for a number of years.

It added: “We are already offering a reduced rate for the NHS and feel that the service and close working relationship we already have with the NHS benefits both parties.

“We have in the past accommodated at short notice as we appreciate how important this service is.”