NHS says transfusions for cancer patients and women after childbirth are among those which may be halted if a Red Alert is declared for the first time ever as the service struggles with low stocks
A million people need to give blood to avoid a first ever Red Alert as the NHS struggles with dangerously low stocks.
NHS Blood and Transplant says it is going through its worst ever shortage and around 200,000 more donors are needed in England to stabilise blood supply. Routine transfusions for cancer patients and women after childbirth which aid recovery are among those which may be halted if a Red Alert is declared. This would mean less than one day’s blood stocks are available and must be prioritised for immediately life threatening cases. The NHS aims to have six days’ stock at any one time.
Currently 785,000 people – or 2% of the population – are keeping the nation’s blood stocks afloat. The NHS is asking more people to give blood regularly and tackle the crisis with “the country’s largest volunteering force”.
Health Minister Baroness Merron said: “I am extremely grateful to the many thousands of people who donate regularly – the blood you donate saves people’s lives, from mothers in maternity wards to victims of car crashes. However the NHS is in urgent need of more lifesaving blood donors from all backgrounds.”
It comes after the Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign to help blood stocks recover after the Covid-19 pandemic amid ongoing shortages. One donation can save up to three lives. The NHS remains in its longest ever Amber Alert for low blood stocks which was declared last July. Red Alert which would mean demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public safety and causing widespread surgery postponements at hospitals nationwide.
The shortages are due in part to changing habits as more people work from home since the Covid-19 pandemic. Most available donation slots are at larger town and city centres.
NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said: “There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients alive. You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year. Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you’d truly be one in a million.”
Isaac and his ‘Hulk blood’
The NHS is calling for a million donor superheroes to start giving blood to help keep people like Hulk fan Isaac Balmer alive. Isaac, aged four, needs his regular supply of “Hulk blood” every 12 weeks to keep him strong and healthy.
The youngster from Hull was born with Hereditary Spherocytosis, which is a genetic blood condition which causes fragile red blood cells to break down faster than normal leading to severe anaemia and other complications.
Mum Jasmin Suggit said: “During his transfusions, he refers to donor blood as ‘Hulk blood’ and imagines himself becoming stronger and healthier. She said: “Isaac’s haemoglobin levels fluctuate and when they drop significantly, he becomes lethargic and jaundiced. But when he receives his transfusion you see the colour return to his cheeks and his energy levels soar before our eyes. It is incredible. But this wouldn’t be possible without the real life, everyday superheroes who keep Isaac and others like him alive, thanks to their regular blood donations.”
Two thirds of all the blood currently collected by the NHS is used to treat patients who rely on blood transfusions, including cancer and life-long blood conditions. Isaac receives transfusions every three months at Hull Royal Infirmary where mum Jasmin works in the newborn screening team.
Jasmin said: “Until you’re one of those who need blood yourself or know someone who does, it may not always be a priority. But Isaac’s journey has put things into perspective and his journey has inspired me to become a blood donor myself. It’s a small act that can make a big difference in someone’s life.”
There are currently between two and three days’ of blood stocks available to the NHS but rates of donations have been falling. There are 55,000 unfilled appointment slots in the next six weeks.
The ‘active donor base’ – which refers to donors who have given blood in the last 12 months – stood at 785,000 at last count in April. This is down from 800,000 before the pandemic in 2020. The NHS needs over 5,000 blood donations every day – or around 1.8 million a year in England. This requires around one million donors who regularly donate to help maintain a reliable blood supply.
NHSBT’s blood director Gerry Gogarty said: “Blood stocks are critically low and there’s a pressing need to avoid a Red Alert. We can do this if we fill the available appointment slots – particularly in town and city centres. That could have a severe impact on the NHS with non-urgent services potentially being paused to focus on the most critical needs.”
There is a critical need for O negative donors – the universal blood type compatible with anyone and used in emergencies. Just 8% of the population have O negative blood but it accounts for 15% of the blood used by hospitals and first responders.
There is also an increasing need for donors of Black heritage as around 50% have a blood subtype called Ro, which is used primarily to treat people with sickle cell disease. This is the country’s fastest growing genetic blood disorder and patients require regular transfusions to prevent agonising and life threatening blockages.
Last year England saw an increased wave of blood donation registrations – including the largest ever increase in registrations from Black heritage communities. However only one in four have gone on to donate, with a quarter of a million people who signed up yet to roll up their sleeves to make a lifesaving donation.
Professor Meghana Pandit, NHS Co-National Medical Director, said: “Regular blood donors provide a lifeline for patients across the NHS, and I’d like to thank them for their incredible generosity. Donating blood is a powerful way you can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives, so I’d encourage anyone considering becoming a donor to please come forward to help stabilise blood stocks as we near a critical low – you could help save someone’s life.”
What would a Red Alert mean?
The Red Alert has never before been used but is designed to help the NHS save and improve as many lives as possible. Routine procedures which require blood will be postponed so stocks are preserved for patients with life threatening haemorrhages, emergency operations such as heart surgery which cannot be delayed for 24 hours and patients who need a lifesaving transfusion due to illness.
NHS Blood and Transplant will declare a Red Alert for blood stocks if there is a severe shortage of red cells. There are two levels of Red alert, dependent on the number of days of stock available. ‘Red B’ is between 0.5 and 1.0 days’ supply of stock; ‘Red A’ is less than 0.5 days’ supply of stock.
The appeal comes just before the one year anniversary of the Amber Alert being in place across England and at the start of National Blood Week. NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar added: “Please book an appointment today, experience how good it feels to save lives, and come and do it again in a few months.”
Register now and book an appointment online HERE, on the GiveBloodNHS app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.