National alert from NHS over blood type shortages
The NHS has issued a national alert over shortages of certain blood types.
National stocks of O negative and O positive blood have fallen to "unprecedentedly low levels" with increased demand from hospitals and high levels of unfilled appointments at donor centres creating "a perfect storm", NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said.
As a result, the NHS has issued an urgent appeal for more blood donors to come forward.
The alert means blood stocks have fallen to under two days' worth, with 1.6 days of O negative - the universal blood group - left, while national stocks of all blood types is 4.3 days.
O group donors are being asked to urgently book and attend appointments at permanent donor centres or with one of the service's 235 mobile blood collecting teams.
There are 45,000 appointments available between now and September.
NHSBT has also written to hospitals asking them to restrict the use of O blood types to essential cases and where possible, use substitutions.
The alert means hospitals can implement emergency measures to minimise usage and move staff to work in laboratories to monitor the use of O type blood.
O negative is used in emergencies or when a patient's blood type is unknown, and is typically carried by air ambulances and emergency vehicles. It makes up around 16% of hospital orders.
It is just the second time such an alert has been issued, with the only other occasion coming in October 2022.
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