Complementary therapy - Whole Blood and Components

Essential information

Obligatory

Must not donate if:

  1. The condition for which treatment was given is not acceptable.
  2. It is less than four months from any treatment that involves:
    1. piercing the skin (e.g. acupuncture)
    2. drawing blood (e.g. wet cupping)
    3. an invasive procedure (e.g colonic irrigation)
Discretionary
  1. If oral or topical complementary medicines only and reason for which treatment was given is acceptable, accept

  2. For all other therapies:

Performed within the NHS

If performed by NHS staff on NHS premises including GP surgeries, accept.

Performed outside of the NHS

If performed by a Qualified Health Care Professional registered with the

  • General Medical Council (GMC),
  • Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC),
  • General Dental Council (GDC),
  • The General Chiropractic Council (GCC),
  • The General Optical Council (GOC),
  • The General Osteopathic Council (GOsC),
  • General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC),
  • Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland (PSNI),
  • The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (which regulates Physiotherapists, Arts therapists, Biomedical Scientists, Chiropodists/ Podiatrists, Clinical Scientists, Dieticians, Hearing Aid Dispensers, Occupational Therapists, Operating Department Practitioners, Orthoptists, Paramedics, Practitioner Psychologists, Prosthetists and Orthotists, Radiographers and Speech and Language Therapists),

accept.

Supporting information

Additional information

Equipment that has been reused has passed infection from person to person. Therapists who are subject to discipline from statutorily constituted professional authorities are expected to follow safe practices.

This guidance presumes that a validated NAT test for hepatitis C is negative. If this test is stopped the guidance will change.

When there is any doubt about infection being passed on, waiting four months means infections are more likely to be picked up by the tests used by the blood services.

Reason for change:
The regulatory organisations for Pharmacists in the UK have been added. The HCPC ceased to be the regulatory authority for Social Workers in England in 2019. The list of health and care professionals regulated by the HCPC has been amended.
Version details:

WB-DSG Edition 203 Release 61 (22 February 2022)