The NHS has made an urgent appeal for more blood donors after issuing a national alert about a shortage of a certain blood type.
The NHS Blood and Transplant Service said increased demand from hospitals and high rates of unfilled appointments at blood donation centres had created a “perfect situation” that had seen national stocks of O-negative and O-positive blood fall to “unprecedented lows”.
This is the second time such a warning has been issued, the only other time being in October 2022.
The NHSBT wrote to hospitals on Thursday issuing an “Amber Alert”, asking them to limit the use of type O blood to essential cases and to use alternative blood where possible.
The alert is triggered when blood levels fall below a two-day supply. The current supply of O blood, the globally most common blood type, is at 1.6 days’ supply, while the national supply of all blood types is at 4.3 days’ supply.
This allows hospitals to implement emergency measures to minimize usage, move staff to laboratories to test all type O blood usage, and use patient blood management systems to minimize use of type O blood.
Both O negative and O positive blood donors are being asked to book an appointment at one of NHSBT’s 25 permanent blood donation centres across England or one of the 235 mobile teams which collect blood at local venues each week, with 45,000 appointments still to be filled between now and September.
O negative, which accounts for about 16 percent of hospital orders, is used in emergencies or when a patient’s blood type is unknown, and air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry supplies of this blood type.
NHSBT said the ongoing cyber incident which affected several London hospitals last month also affected the O-negative strain, resulting in a 94% increase in demand compared to the same period last year.
Following the attack on pathology company Synovis, several hospitals, including King’s College Hospital and Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, declared major emergencies, cancelled operations and tests and were unable to administer blood transfusions.
Dr Joe Farrar, chief executive of NHSBT, said: “We urgently need more Group O vaccine donors to come forward to help us increase stocks to treat patients who need it.”
“We have had an incredible response from donors who answered our appeal last month and filled the centre with blood, allowing us to meet the increased demand for blood throughout June.
“But seven weeks later, the need for blood, especially type O negative blood, remains extremely critical.”
Dr Farah said health officials are making 1,000 extra appointments available each week.
Comedian Dara O’Brien also joined the call, saying in a post shared on X (formerly Twitter): “Is your blood type O? NHSBT would be grateful if you could arrange to donate blood as soon as possible as stocks are really low at the moment!”
“I recommend the Westfield centre – the chocolate biscuits afterwards are the best! They happily accept other blood types too!”
There are just under 800,000 people across the country who regularly donate blood but blood has a shelf life of just 35 days, NHSBT chief medical officer Dr Gail Mifflin said.
Women can donate blood once every four months and men can donate once every three months.
The NHS needs to collect 1.45 million units of blood each year and attract up to 200,000 new donors to replace those who stop donating and ensure the right blood type combination is available for future patient needs.
To book an appointment to donate blood call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk
release date: Radio News Hub
