Worst ever NHS blood donor crisis over - as Mirror readers come to the rescue

The worst ever NHS blood shortage has come to an end in a major win for the Mirror ’s Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign.

The NHS has written to hospital bosses to stand down its longest ever Amber Alert which has been in place due to dangerously low blood stocks for almost a year.

It comes after the Mirror issued an urgent appeal on our front page last month to recruit thousands more donors as the NHS was on the cusp of its a first ever Red Alert. This would have meant routine transfusions including for cancer patients and for women after childbirth to aid recovery would be halted. The following week 100,000 people booked appointments and 29,000 new donors signed up.

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Gerry Gogarty, Director of Supply at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “A huge thank you to the Daily Mirror and all your readers who have consistently championed the importance of blood donation, helping to fill appointments, recruit new donors and boost vital blood stocks at a time it was really needed by hospitals across the country. We are extremely grateful to everyone who has come forward to give blood and help us stand down the shortage alert.”

The NHS needs 5,000 donations each day to meet the needs of patients. This way it maintains six days’ supply of blood stocks at any time to deal with sudden surges in demand for lifesaving transfusions.

An Amber Alert was issued in July 2024 after the health service in England dipped below three days’ supply and this has only now been lifted. The only previous NHS Amber Alert lasted just a month in October 2022.

A Red Alert would have meant less than one day’s blood stocks are available and must be prioritised for immediately life threatening cases. It would have meant demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public safety and causing widespread surgery postponements.

Public Health Minister Ashley Dalton said: “This is fantastic news and an important reminder of what we can achieve when we come together. I am grateful to everyone who stood up and did their part – from the 29,000 new donors to NHS staff for their incredible work. But our work isn’t over. Blood only lasts 35 days so we need people to keep up momentum and donate regularly all year round.

"Every donation saves lives. If you can donate blood, please make it a regular habit - the NHS depends on it and so do patients across the country."

The Mirror launched the Give a Pint, Save a Life campaign and has published a series of high profile stories to help blood stocks recover after the Covid-19 pandemic. Donations fell in part due to changing habits as more people work from home since the pandemic.

Hospitals have also supported the effort by better managing use of blood - particularly more targeted use of O negative red cells. O Negative 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.

The Government has written to all NHS trust chief executives to ask them to continue this best practice developed over the last 12 months and to minimise wastage to help ensure the security of the nation’s blood stocks.

The amber alert was triggered in part due to a major cyber-attack last year on Synnovis - the pathology service provider for several major London hospitals - which severely disrupted blood testing services. It meant some hospitals could not match blood in the usual way leading to over-use of limited O-negative blood stocks.

Most available blood donation slots are at larger town and city centres but in the last year the NHS has increased the number of appointments available at community venues such as village churches. It has also opened new permanent donor centres in Brixton and Southampton. It will open another in Brighton next month.

NHS Blood and Transplant says it has 55,000 appointments to fill at donor centres in England over the next six weeks.

Number of blood donation appointments available and where

• Manchester (2 centres) - 4,303
• Bristol - 3,108
• Birmingham - 2,878
• Cambridge - 2,749
• Newcastle - 2,381
• Leeds - 2,353
• Nottingham - 2,089
• Leicester - 1,802
• Sheffield - 1,648
• Plymouth - 1,490
• Luton - 1,297
• Southampton - 1,268
• Bradford - 1,026
• Liverpool - 972
• Lancaster - 500
• Brixton, London - 5,500
• West End, London - 4,955
• Shepherds Bush, London - 3,800
• Stratford, London - 3,400
• Tooting, London - 3,186
• Edgware, London - 2,245
• Twickenham, London - 1,433

The NHS has also introduced more accurate iron testing to reduce the number of donors turned away due to low haemoglobin levels.

Duncan Burton, the Chief Nursing Officer for England, said: “Blood donations can be life-saving for patients so I want to thank everyone who generously came forward to give blood over the past year, helping ensure we have enough to help those in need. But our work isn’t finished - the NHS needs a constant flow of donations to provide people with the best possible care. So I'd encourage anyone who can donate to do so. Giving one pint will save or improve the lives of three people.”

NHS Blood and Transplant says stocks are expected to remain stable over the next month with the mid-term outlook suggesting stocks could grow. However traditionally fewer people donate blood in the summer months and if demand from hospitals increases an Amber Alert could be reintroduced.

To register as a blood donor with the NHS you can sign up online through the NHS Give Blood website or by downloading the NHS Give Blood app. You can also sign up by calling 0300 123 23 23. Once registered, you can book your appointment online, through the app or by calling.