Stocks of blood have dropped to unprecedentedly low levels, following the ‘perfect storm’ of a cyber attack and unfilled appointments at donor centres.
NHS Blood and Transplant has written to hospitals issuing an ‘Amber Alert’ which asks them to restrict the use of O type blood to only essential cases and use substitutions where clinically safe to do so.
This alert details how there is only enough national stocks of O Negative blood type to last 1.6 days and national stocks of blood across all types is 4.3 days.
Hospitals will still carry out urgent, emergency trauma surgery, cancer surgery, transplant surgery and blood transfusions to treat people with long term conditions.
It follows a recent cyber attack, that saw a gang of Russian hackers, named Qilin, target a major lab services provider and demand a $50million ransom, which impacted London hospitals.
There is only enough national stocks of O Negative blood type to last 1.6 days and national stocks of blood across all types is 4.3 days
The company, which was impacted by the attack in June, analyses blood, urine and tissue samples for some hospitals and GP surgeries.
Urgent cancer and transplant operations were among the 814 procedures cancelled following the attack, the NHS has admitted.
Bosses feared it would take months to fully recover, with further cancellations likely as the labs are only able to operate at 10 per cent of normal capacity.
However, the shortage in blood is also caused by reduced collections due to high levels of unfilled appointments at donor centres in town and city centres.
On average, there are around 50,000 appointments to fill each week. There are over 12,000 appointments still to fill in donor centres over the next two weeks.
Urgent cancer and transplant operations were among the 814 procedures cancelled following the attack, the NHS has admitted
The group, named Qilin, has claimed responsibility for the June 4 cyberattack on Synnovis and is seeking payment to unlock affected computers
People with O negative and O positive blood have been asked to urgently book and fill appointments at donor centres.
O negative — known as the universal blood type — is the type that can be given to anyone.
It is used in emergencies or when a patient’s blood type is unknown. Air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry O negative supplies.
Just 8 per cent of the population have type O Negative but it makes up for around 16 per cent of hospital orders.
The NHS is making an additional 1,000 appointments a week for blood donations and urge people to donate in the coming days and weeks.
‘We urgently need more O group donors to come forward and help boost stocks to treat patients needing treatment, ‘ Dr Jo Farrar, NHSBT Chief Executive.
She added: ‘Last month we saw an incredible response from donors who answered our call and filled up our centres, helping us meet the increased demands for blood throughout June.
‘However, seven weeks on, the need for O negative blood in particular remains critical.’
Dr Gail Miflin, NHSBT Chief Medical Officer explained that as many as three blood donations are needed every minute in hospitals to deal with emergencies, childbirth and routine treatments.
She said: ‘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.
‘Women can donate once every four months and men can donate once every three months.’
Sir Stephen Powis, NHS National Medical Director England, said: ‘We’re seeing an increased demand for blood and shortages of stock so it’s important that donors come forward for appointments.
‘With thanks to regular blood donors across the country, hospitals will continue to access stock when necessary and prioritise it for those who need it most.
‘Patients should also continue to come forward for care if they need it – by using 999 in a life-threatening emergency or otherwise using 111 on the NHS App, online or by phone for other health concerns.’
