Patient Hails Life-Changing Treatment as New NHS Donor Centre Opens in Reading
Jill Jones, from Oxford, expresses gratitude to donors as the first integrated blood, plasma, and platelet donation centre launches.
By Laura Medhurst
••3 min read
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Generic image of medical equipment for blood and plasma donation.
A patient from Oxford has thanked blood and plasma donors for life-changing treatment as NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) opens its largest ever donor centre in Reading.
Jill Jones, 62, from New Marston, who relies on immunoglobulin infusions every three weeks at the John Radcliffe Hospital, has spoken out to encourage more people to donate. The treatment has significantly improved her health after years of recurrent infections and hospital admissions.
The retired media manager supported NHSBT as it opened its new donor centre in Reading on Tuesday 20 October. This facility is the first in the country where individuals can donate blood, plasma, and platelets under one roof, aiming to supply essential blood products and plasma-derived medicines across the NHS.
The new centre holds particular significance for Jill, who made history at the John Radcliffe Hospital in March 2025, becoming the first NHS patient to receive immunoglobulin derived from UK-donated plasma. She was diagnosed with a primary immune deficiency in 2005, following earlier treatments for Hodgkin lymphoma and non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and a stem cell transplant in April 2005.
Following her transplant, Jill frequently battled infections, often requiring hospitalisation for intravenous antibiotics while raising her two young children. Her husband, Elfed, described the uncertainty of her health during that period. Since commencing immunoglobulin infusions, Jill has not required hospital treatment for infections, aside from a brief stay with COVID-19 in 2021.
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"Infusions have been life-changing for me in keeping me well. Before I started on them, I was regularly in hospital with infections, which just doesn't happen now. It's made a huge and positive difference to my life and my family's life."
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"I would certainly have a very different life without my regular infusion and I am proud to have been one of the first patients in the UK to receive immunoglobulin that is now made from UK plasma. I have been on immunoglobulin for 20 years now and it makes a huge difference to my quality of life."
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"The thought that we are now collecting plasma donations in the UK is fantastic, as it means we are not having to solely rely on a supply from abroad."
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"I would like to say a very big thank you to anyone who donates blood or plasma, on behalf of myself and all the other patients I meet on my regular trips to the hospital. You are amazing."
Plasma constitutes approximately 55% of blood, and plasma recovered from whole blood donations can be processed into medicines, including the immunoglobulin treatment Jill receives. This highlights how both whole blood and plasma donors contribute to patient care.
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"Having blood, plasma and platelet donation together in one centre is a real step forward for Reading and for NHS Blood and Transplant. It means donors can see the full range of ways they can help save and improve lives and it gives our donors even more opportunities to support patients, such as Jill, with the blood products when and where they need it most."
The Oxford Donor Centre is located on the John Radcliffe Hospital site. Interested individuals can find more information and book appointments at www.blood.co.uk or via the NHS Give Blood app.
