NHS issues urgent plea after ‘perfect storm’ leaves blood supplies set to run out within hours

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The NHS has issued an urgent plea for blood donors after warning national supplies are set to run out within hours.

Doctors urged people with O-type blood to donate, with national stocks of O-Negative projected to run out by Saturday. The health service said it has less than 5 days stock of all types of blood in what it described as an “unprecedented” shortage.

They called on people with the universal blood group O-negative, as well as O-positive donors, to urgently book into donor centres.

Just 8 per cent of the population have type O-Negative but it makes up for around 16 per cent of hospital orders, according to NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT).

The health service said it was facing a “perfect storm” after a cyber attack impacted London hospitals in June.

The incident resulted in stocks of blood falling, as many appointments went unfilled at blood donation centres across towns and city centres leading to reduced collections.

Dr Gail Miflin NHSBT’s chief medical officer said: “Three blood donations are needed every minute in hospitals to deal with emergencies, childbirth and routine treatments.

“Blood only has a shelf life of 35 days so the NHS needs blood all year round.

“There are just under 800,000 regular blood donors, 108,000 of whom are O Negative. Ultimately, we need more people to be regular blood donors and come to one of our 25 donor centres.”

The NHS said there are currently around 12,000 appointments for donors in the next fortnight that have yet to be filled.

O-negative is a universal blood type meaning it can be administered to anyone. It can be used in emergencies or if a patient’s blood type is unknown.

Air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry O-negative supplies.

Folowing a cyber attack on NHS trusts in London in June, the hospitals affected required an additional 1.7 days of O-negative supplies – a 94 per cent increase compared to the same period a year ago.

This amounts to 170 additional O-negative donations per week.

The summer months are more challenging for the NHS as large public sporting events and holidays typically lead to a reduced number of people booking into donor centres.

Hot weather can make it impossible for people to give blood due to people being dehydrated or having low iron levels.

The NHS is asking anyone able to donate blood to register and book appointments online, on the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.