This man refused life-saving treatment because of his religion - days later the rules changed

We meet Gillies at the Jehovah's Witnesses UK headquarters set in 85 acres of Essex countryside. It is a vast modern complex where hundreds of volunteer followers of the faith live and work without pay.

He insists the basic teaching has not changed and that the transfusion of whole blood is still prohibited. However, for decades, most transfusions have not used whole blood, instead using the specific components of blood that are needed by the patient.

The change is being justified by permitting the use of blood components, like plasma and red blood cells and platelets, in the huge numbers of medical procedures that were previously banned.