A LEADING councillor has accused the NHS Blood and Transplant Service of “kicking donors in the teeth” after pulling out of three North Yorkshire areas without consultation.

Long-standing donors said they were shocked after being told that demand for blood has been dropping and the cost of collecting their donations was too high.

Councillor John Noone, chairman of Hambleton District Council, who has donated blood for decades, said he was outraged after being told of the closure of donation sessions at Bedale Hall. Services at Leyburn were withdrawn in May and sessions in Masham are also ending.

“No one knew anything about this. I’m absolutely appalled, I think it’s disgusting,” said Cllr Noone. “If it was a question of costs, they could have come to Bedale Hall and asked for help over the rent, but for people not to be told or consulted, it is a kick in the teeth.

“I’ve been giving blood since I was 18, as have so many people, because we thought it was a responsible thing to do and to be treated like this is really not right.”

Graham Roberts, of Coverdale, was told there would be no more sessions at Leyburn as the service was concentrating on busier areas.

He said: “I have been donating blood for 30 years so am really disappointed, this is another case of being penalised for living in a rural location.”

An NHS spokesman said: “We are writing to donors that usually attend the Bedale venue about the change and will tell them about alternative sessions where they can donate.

“We have made this change as we regularly review our session programme to ensure we collect enough blood to meet patients’ needs, while not wasting precious donations.

“The demand for blood from hospitals has been dropping by about four per cent each year for the last few years. This is due to improvements in clinical and surgical practice and our own efforts to ensure that blood is used appropriately and only where necessary.

“It’s also very important that we collect blood efficiently and effectively so we can keep the costs for the NHS as low as possible.”