Volunteers at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital's (KEMH) Blood Donor Centre are to be replaced by paid nursing and technical staff.

The change is in keeping with new accreditation requirements.

Red Cross volunteers will be kept on call for emergencies and to promote blood donation in the community, but will no longer be used on a day-to-day basis at KEMH.

The Blood Donor Centre was opened in 1965. Until now the operation has been run by one full-time paid staff member, two part-time staff members, and around 50 Red Cross volunteer nurses, technicians and refreshment hostesses.

Director of Blood Transfusion Services Betsie Lombard said the switch is a necessary change for the hospital to meet international accreditation standards.

"We are extremely grateful to the Bermuda Red Cross and their professional volunteers who have been instrumental in the development of the Blood Donor Centre over decades," said Dr. Lombard. "Their continued support will ensure that our Blood Donor Centre will continue to save lives in Bermuda in all eventualities."

Chairperson and volunteer coordinator for the Bermuda Red Cross, Barbara Cooper added: "This is the right time for the Blood Donor Centre to move in line with international standards, and we are pleased to continue to provide on-call support in case of emergencies and promote the very real need for more people in Bermuda to donate blood."

A Bermuda Hospitals Board spokesperson said the Centre has an adequate supply of blood, but only three percent of the community are donors. Ideally, between six and nine percent of the population should be donors, the spokesperson added.