An amber alert for blood supplies has been declared for the first time ever after stocks fell to a critically low level.
Hospitals have been told to implement plans to protect their stocks, meaning non-urgent operations requiring blood could be postponed to ensure they are prioritised for patients who need them most. A spokeswoman for NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said current overall blood stocks in the NHS stand at 3.1 days but levels of O type blood have fallen to below two days.
O negative blood is the universal blood type which can be given to everyone. It is vitally important during emergencies and when the blood type of the recipient is unknown.
Existing O negative and O positive donors are now being asked to book in at blood donor centres to give blood, though all donors are urged to donate if they can. As news of the amber alert broke, the blood donor website became very busy, with people placed in a queue.
Around one in seven people have O negative blood. Air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry O negative supplies for emergencies.
The current amber alert is in part due to ongoing staffing issues, with more staff needed to work at donor sessions. NHSBT said maintaining blood stocks had been an ongoing challenge in the aftermath of the Covid pandemic, mainly due to staff shortages and sickness but also due to the fact people are less likely to visit collection centres in towns and cities.
Action currently being taken to tackle the issue includes moving more staff to the frontline to open up more appointments, speeding up recruitment to fill vacant posts and using agency staff, as well as retaining existing workers.
Blood can only be stored for 35 days, which means there is a constant need for donations - and a need for specific blood types. The amber alert will last initially for four weeks, which NHSBT said should enable blood stocks to be rebuilt.
It aims to hold more than six days of blood in stock, however, overall levels are currently predicted to fall below two days - hence the alert. Although blood stocks are very low for blood group O, the other blood groups are expected to enter amber levels in the next few weeks. Declaring amber for all blood groups makes it easier for hospitals to manage stocks.
Wendy Clark, interim chief executive of NHSBT, said: "Asking hospitals to limit their use of blood is not a step we take lightly. This is a vital measure to protect patients who need blood the most.
"Patients are our focus. I sincerely apologise to those patients who may see their surgery postponed because of this. With the support of hospitals and the measures we are taking to scale up collection capacity, we hope to be able to build stocks back to a more sustainable footing.
"We cannot do this without our amazing donors. If you are O positive or O negative in particular, please make an appointment to give blood as soon as you can. If you already have an appointment, please keep it."
Hospitals will continue to carry out any urgent, emergency or trauma surgery, cancer surgery and transplant surgery. Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, chairman of the National Blood Transfusion Committee, said: "I know that all hospital transfusion services, up and down the country, are working flat out to ensure that blood will be available for emergencies and urgent surgeries. We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with NHSBT and with surgeons and anaesthetists, in particular, to minimise any inconvenience and problems to patients."
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