National blood shortage alert to be stood down from 21 July following amazing response from donors and hospitals
The NHS has today written to hospitals to stand down its amber alert on blood stocks from 21 July after almost a year, thanks to a phenomenal response from donors during National Blood Week and fantastic support from hospitals.
More than 100,000 people booked appointments and 29,000 new donors signed up in just 1 week in June, giving stocks a much-needed boost.
To make it easier for people to give blood, the NHS has increased the number of appointments available at community venues, opened new permanent donor centres in Brixton and Southampton – with another opening its doors in Brighton in September - and introduced more accurate iron testing - a move expected to significantly reduce the number of donors turned away due to low haemoglobin levels.
Hospitals have also supported the effort by better managing use of blood - particularly of O negative red cells. O Neg is the universal blood type that can be given to anyone in an emergency – just 8% of the population have it but it accounts for 15% of the blood used in hospitals.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), NHS England and the Department of Health and Social Care have today also written to all NHS Trust and Integrated Care Board Chief Executives to ask them to continue the best practice of the past 12 months and to minimise wastage to help ensure the security of the nation’s blood stocks.
Summer remains a particularly challenging period for blood supplies, as hot weather and holidays often reduce the number of people who are able or available to donate.
Blood stocks are expected to remain stable over the next 6 weeks with the mid-term outlook for stocks to grow. However, stocks remain fragile, and the risk remains if demand from hospitals increases now the shortage is being stood down.
The amber alert
The amber alert, issued last July, was triggered after a major cyber-attack on Synnovis - the pathology service provider for several major London hospitals, which severely disrupted blood testing services and contributed to a decline in stock levels.
The unprecedented IT attack, which hit in June, meant some hospitals could not match blood in the usual way, leading to knock-on effects on supply and hospital usage across the NHS.
Amber alert status is used when national stocks fall dangerously low and hospitals are asked to preserve blood for the most urgent and life-threatening cases. It is a supply management tool to avoid a national blood shortage that could impact patients, and it is a clear signal to donors that stocks are at risk of running low.