Blood donation process


When donating blood, the standard donation is approximately 450 mL, slightly less than half a litre or two cups. This represents a small portion of the blood in a person’s body, as the average adult has about 5 litres. The entire process takes just over an hour.  

We are constantly making efforts to improve our donor experience. Keep visiting our website for the most the up-to-date information. For a quick overview of our donation process, watch our video below. 

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On the day of your donation


Arrive at our donor centre to a friendly welcome from our staff. They'll greet you, do a quick identification check and direct you to the first station in the process. 
 
You will start to see the new check-in kiosk when you come in to donate. 

Don’t forget to have your water and salty snack.

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Complete our donor questionnaire


You’ll complete our donor questionnaire on a touchscreen, answering the donation questions on a tablet! It's completely confidential and there to protect you and the person who receives your blood. 
 
You’ll be able to skip this step if you have a blood donor ID number, an appointment booked and your email address on file – then we can send the online questionnaire in advance.  

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Review and confirm


Please ensure that you read the donor brochure — What you must know to donate blood — as it contains important information about the donation process. 

A trained staff member will go over your questionnaire answers with you and ask some additional questions to confirm that you are good to donate. 

They'll give you a 'finger prick' test to check your level of hemoglobin (a protein which contains iron).