Currently, England remains in Amber alert for low stocks of O negative and O positive blood
Currently, England remains in Amber alert for low stocks of O negative and O positive blood(Image: PA)
The NHS has issued an urgent alert and warned ‘we must act now’ over fears of ‘critical’ blood supply levels in the coming months.
Dwindling supplies of donated blood could soon push supply to ‘critical levels’, worsened by the recent bank holidays, according to NHS Blood and Transplant – who are now urging people to come forward and donate.
Currently, England remains in Amber alert for low stocks of O negative and O positive blood – meaning the drive will aim to seal new donors to come forward and secure enough supply to hospitals going into summer.
Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE
Donating a unit of blood takes an hour and can save up to three lives. O negative, O positive, A positive and Ro blood types in particularly short supply, the NHS said. There also remains an ongoing need for more donors of Black heritage to help patients with sickle cell who need ethnically matched blood.
Over 4,400 appointments are still available to fill in at the two Manchester donor centres over the next six weeks. It comes as a further appeal was issued to blood and platelet donors across England, in order to help fill over 50,000 appointments available nationally.
How do I donate blood?
Hospitals across England need over 5,000 blood donations every day to ensure they have the blood they need to treat patients for wide variety of reasons – from traumatic injuries or accidents, cancer treatments, sickle cell and childbirth.
But blood has a shelf life of 35 days, and platelets only seven days, so the NHS says it is ‘vital stocks are constantly replenished.’
There are 26 permanent donor centres in London, Manchester, Cambridge, Luton, Nottingham, Sheffield, Leicester, Bradford, Leeds, Newcastle, Lancaster, Liverpool, Stoke, Birmingham, Bristol, Gloucester, Oxford, Southampton, Poole and Plymouth. Mobile teams also collect blood at community venues such as church halls around the country.
An urgent call for blood donors has been made(Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
NHS Blood and Transplant needs to collect 1.45 million units of blood each year to meet the needs of patients across England.
Donating a unit of blood takes just an hour and each donation can save up to three lives.
To book a blood donation appointment you can visit www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 to find your nearest session. For more details about the donor centres in Manchester, see: Manchester Norfolk House and Manchester Plymouth Grove.
The registration process takes around 5 minutes to complete and asks for some basic information including date of birth and contact details.
You can sign up to be a donor if you are able to attend appointments in England and pass the eligibility check. To donate blood or plasma you will need to be in good general health, be aged between 17 and 65, and weigh at least 7 stone 12 lbs.
Amber alert
Dwindling supplies of donated blood could soon push supply to ‘critical levels’, worsened by the recent bank holidays, according to NHS Blood and Transplant.
Over 4,400 appointments are still available to fill in at the two Manchester donor centres over the next six weeks, sparking fresh fears among dipping ‘spring slump’ supply. NHS warns of a looming shortfall in blood stocks, with four Bank Holidays in just six weeks threatening to impact supplies.
The NHS says the two Bank Holidays and half term holiday which fall together in May – in the space of six weeks – further threaten to impact supplies. This is because blood donations drop over bank holiday weekends, and with Easter falling late this year, four bank holidays in just six weeks have placed ‘increased pressure on blood stocks.’
NHSBT issued an Amber Alert in July 2024, which remains in place, due to a severe shortage of O negative blood triggered by the cyber-attack on London hospitals last year. The attack meant major London hospitals couldn’t cross match blood so the hospitals could only use O negative.
“The need for blood never stops,” said Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply at NHS Blood and Transplant. “We are extremely grateful to everyone who has donated so far this year, but we must act now to avoid falling behind.
“To avoid facing a ‘spring slump’ in donations, we urgently need donors to book an appointment today – and help us fill appointments over the weeks ahead.
“If you can’t find an appointment straightaway, please book further ahead or keep checking back to help fill last minute availability or cancellations. Each donation has the power to save up to three lives.”