Blood donors urgently needed due to national shortage – Birkenhead News

The NHS is urgently appealing for donors of type O blood to come forward, due to “unprecedentedly low” levels in England.

An ‘Amber Alert’ has been issued, urging hospitals to limit the use of O-type blood to essential cases.

The national supply of O-negative blood is 1.6 days and the total national supply of all types of blood is 4.3 days. Donors of O-negative and O-positive blood are urged to book and fill appointments at donor centers urgently.

On average there are around 50,000 appointments to fill each week. There are still over 12,000 appointments to fill at donor centres in England over the next two weeks, including over 300 at the Liverpool Donor Centre.

An Amber Alert is a key part of the NHS’s business continuity plan for blood supplies. It ensures that hospitals:

implement their emergency measures to minimize use;
send personnel to laboratories to monitor the use of all O-type blood; and
Use patient blood management systems to minimize the use of type O blood.

O negative is the type that can be given to anyone – known as the universal blood type. It is used in emergencies or when a patient’s blood type is unknown.

Air ambulances and emergency vehicles carry O negative supplies. Only 8% of the population has type O negative, but it accounts for about 16% of hospital orders.

Hospitals continue to perform emergency surgeries, emergency surgeries, trauma surgeries, cancer surgeries, transplant surgeries and blood transfusions to treat people with long-term conditions.

NHSBT runs 235 mobile sessions per week in community locations which are regularly close to full. Sessions in the 25 permanent donor centres such as the Liverpool centre on St Paul’s Square in the city centre have a higher number of appointments available.

To supply hospitals with the 1.5 million units of blood they need to treat patients, appointments must be virtually fully booked all year round.

Managing Director, Dr Jo Farrar, says: “We urgently need more O group donors in Liverpool to come forward and increase the supply to treat patients who need treatment. Last month we saw an incredible response from donors who answered our call and filled our centres, allowing us to meet the increased demand for blood in June. However, seven weeks later, the need for O negative blood in particular remains critical.

“We are making an additional 1000 appointments available each week, please take a moment to go online and book. If you can’t find an appointment right away, please book for the coming days, weeks and months. We are always in need of donations. Thank you everyone for your support.”

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