NHS issues first-ever amber alert as blood stocks fall
The NHS has declared its first-ever amber alert as blood supplies dropped to a critically low level in England.
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.
As news of the amber alert broke, the blood donor website became very busy, with people being placed in a queue.
A spokeswoman for 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.
Blood can only be stored for 35 days, which means there is a constant need for donations – and a need for specific blood types.
It aims to hold more than six days of blood in stock, but levels are currently predicted to fall below two days – hence the alert.
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.
Around one in seven people have O negative blood.
Air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry O negative supplies for emergencies.
NHSBT said maintaining blood stocks has 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 front line to open up more appointments, speeding up recruitment to fill vacant posts and using agency staff, as well as retaining existing workers.
The amber alert will last initially for four weeks, which NHSBT said should enable blood stocks to be rebuilt.
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