The upper age limit for blood donors, which prevents people giving blood once they reach 70, has been removed.
NHS Blood and Transplant says it has scrapped the upper age limit because of the increased health and fitness of older donors.
Statistics show 1.3million people of retirement age are now employed – marking a year-on-year rise of eight per cent – and that those over 65 take up to 25% more exercise than they did a decade ago.
The change could result in an additional 15,000 donations per year.
Lynda Hamlyn, chief executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "Our older donors are amongst our most loyal and many want to keep giving beyond their 70th birthday. We continually review our donor criteria and given the steady improvement we have seen over recent years in the general fitness of our older donors, it is now safe for us to remove our upper age limit for donation. Those who have donated in the last two years will be able to continue giving as long as they meet our donor selection rules."
Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "The change to National Blood Service rules is a great example of how breaking down age barriers brings huge benefits, not only to older people, but society in general. We hope it will encourage other organisations to look carefully at their policies and ensure they don't unnecessarily exclude people because of their age."