London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 26, 2025

Public responds to NHS amber alert over donor blood stocks

Public responds to NHS amber alert over donor blood stocks

The blood-donation service has been inundated with offers of help after putting out an alert, on Wednesday, warning NHS stocks were running critically low in England.

More than 10,000 appointments to donate blood over the next few weeks have been booked in the past 24 hours.

People can check how and where to donate, at blood.co.uk, but should be prepared for online queues, NHS Blood and Transplant says.

Phone lines also saw a spike in calls.

The NHS usually has six days' worth of blood to use for operations and transfusions but levels are currently due to fall below two.


Type-O blood is in particular demand. O positive is the most common and anyone can receive O negative in an emergency or if their blood type is unknown.

Blood supplies have been challenging since the Covid pandemic, because of staff shortages and sickness, and a change in people's behaviour means they are less likely to visit donation centres in towns and cities, according to NHSBT.

Individual hospitals must decide how to manage the shortage - for example, by postponing some non-urgent operations.

On Wednesday, more than:

*  166,000 people visited the blood-donor website, the most since the pandemic began

*  7,500 people registered as new donors, the most in the past 20 years

"This is an amazing response from the public and we have been reminded in the last 24 hours of the incredible goodwill and spirit of the public towards helping patients in times of great difficulty," an NHSBT official said.

"While the amber alert isn't a widespread donor appeal, we want to say a huge thank you to existing donors and those who came forward in their thousands yesterday to register for the first time.

"We'd like to extend a special thanks to those donors who called us to express their empathy and offering to do anything they could to help."

But the amber alert will remain in place for at least the next four weeks, with limited available appointments.

"We know this can be frustrating for donors who want book an appointment right now to help," NHSBT said.

"Please be assured that we are doing our utmost to prioritise appointments for blood types most in demand right now and in the near future - but we only have so many appointments available in the short term, so it's a fine balancing act."

NHSBT said it was quickly developing a "register your interest" form so it can work with new donors who tried to sign up.

"If you are an O-neg group blood donor, please call our customer-contact centre to book a priority appointment - we are asking all other blood donors to help by filling the appointments available in the coming few weeks at our permanent donor centres.

"If you can't make an appointment now, please come back to us in a few weeks - we need to supply hospitals with blood every day of the year," says NHSBT.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Deputy attorney general's second day of meeting with Ghislaine Maxwell has concluded
Controversial March in Switzerland Features Men Dressed in Nazi Uniforms
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
Thai Civilian Death Toll Rises to 12 in Cambodian Cross-Border Attacks
TSUNAMI: Trump Just Crossed the Rubicon—And There’s No Turning Back
Over 120 Criminal Cases Dismissed in Boston Amid Public Defender Shortage
UN's Top Court Declares Environmental Protection a Legal Obligation Under International Law
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
The Podcaster Who Accidentally Revealed He Earns Over $10 Million a Year
Trump Announces $550 Billion Japanese Investment and New Trade Agreements with Indonesia and the Philippines
US Treasury Secretary Calls for Institutional Review of Federal Reserve Amid AI‑Driven Growth Expectations
UK Government Considers Dropping Demand for Apple Encryption Backdoor
Severe Flooding in South Korea Claims Lives Amid Ongoing Rescue Operations
Japanese Man Discovers Family Connection Through DNA Testing After Decades of Separation
Russia Signals Openness to Ukraine Peace Talks Amid Escalating Drone Warfare
Switzerland Implements Ban on Mammography Screening
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
Pogacar Extends Dominance with Stage Fifteen Triumph at Tour de France
CEO Resigns Amid Controversy Over Relationship with HR Executive
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
NVIDIA Achieves $4 Trillion Valuation Amid AI Demand
US Revokes Visas of Brazilian Corrupted Judges Amid Fake Bolsonaro Investigation
U.S. Congress Approves Rescissions Act Cutting Federal Funding for NPR and PBS
North Korea Restricts Foreign Tourist Access to New Seaside Resort
Brazil's Supreme Court Imposes Radical Restrictions on Former President Bolsonaro
Centrist Criticism of von der Leyen Resurfaces as she Survives EU Confidence Vote
Judge Criticizes DOJ Over Secrecy in Dropping Charges Against Gang Leader
Apple Closes $16.5 Billion Tax Dispute With Ireland
Von der Leyen Faces Setback Over €2 Trillion EU Budget Proposal
UK and Germany Collaborate on Global Military Equipment Sales
Trump Plans Over 10% Tariffs on African and Caribbean Nations
Flying Taxi CEO Reclaims Billionaire Status After Stock Surge
Epstein Files Deepen Republican Party Divide
Zuckerberg Faces $8 Billion Privacy Lawsuit From Meta Shareholders
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
SpaceX Nears $400 Billion Valuation With New Share Sale
Microsoft, US Lab to Use AI for Faster Nuclear Plant Licensing
Trump Walks Back Talk of Firing Fed Chair Jerome Powell
Zelensky Reshuffles Cabinet to Win Support at Home and in Washington
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Irish Tech Worker Detained 100 days by US Authorities for Overstaying Visa
Dimon Warns on Fed Independence as Trump Administration Eyes Powell’s Succession
Church of England Removes 1991 Sexuality Guidelines from Clergy Selection
Superman Franchise Achieves Success with Latest Release
Hungary's Viktor Orban Rejects Agreements on Illegal Migration
Jeff Bezos Considers Purchasing Condé Nast as a Wedding Gift
Ghislaine Maxwell Says She’s Ready to Testify Before Congress on Epstein’s Criminal Empire
Bal des Pompiers: A Celebration of Community and Firefighter Culture in France
FBI Chief Kash Patel Denies Resignation Speculations Amid Epstein List Controversy
Air India Pilot’s Mental Health Records Under Scrutiny
×