RT Journal Article SR Electronic T1 What is the evidence for the change in the blood ­donation deferral period for high-risk groups and does it go far enough? JF Clinical Medicine JO Clin Med FD Royal College of Physicians SP 304 OP 307 DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.18-4-304 VO 18 IS 4 A1 Beattie RH Sturrock A1 Stuart Mucklow YR 2018 UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/18/4/304.abstract AB In November 2017, the deferral on blood donations from high-risk groups in Great Britain was changed to 3 months from last at-risk sexual contact following recommendations from the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs. This represented a reduction from 12 months for men who have sex with men, and from a lifetime ban for sex workers. This is a step forward for equality and for reducing stigma around these groups. However, one argument for deferral is the prevalence of infections, which may not be identified due to the fallibility of current testing approaches. Clearly it is vital that the welfare of blood transfusion recipients is prioritised and they are not exposed to unacceptable risks. However, with the increasingly sophisticated technology used to screen blood, it can be argued that the evidence shows that the reduction in deferral does not go far enough.