NHS blood shortage sparks wave of donations
NHS blood shortage sparks wave of donations: Kind-hearted Brits get stuck in 30-minute online queues to book appointments after health bosses warned routine ops would be cancelled because they had just TWO DAYS’ worth of supply
- NHS trusts in England will have to start cancelling elective procedures
- Overall blood stocks in the NHS stand at 3.1 days with O type at below two days
- O negative blood is the universal blood type which can be given to everyone
Waves of Britons have flood NHS blood donation website after the organisation issued an alert about supply.
Kind-hearted would-be donors in England have been left in half-an-hour queues because of the rush to give blood.
Health chiefs issued the first ever ‘amber’ alert status because of dwindling stocks earlier today, which could see urgent operations like hip replacements postponed.
Health chiefs said the problem is being driven by low staffing levels at donor clinics, which is being exacerbated by Covid and other illnesses in the workforce.
Most donor sessions are already full and some people have to wait months to book in an appointment to give blood.
But the NHS Confederation said: ‘If anyone is able to donate blood, now is the time for them to come forward.’
Across England there is less than two days’ supply of O negative blood — the universal type which hospitals are reliant on in emergencies. And across all blood types the stocks will currently last 3.1 days.
Unless supplies get back on track quickly, the NHS Blood and Transplant service could upgrade the situation to a ‘red’ alert, which could see all but the most serious emergency surgeries cancelled.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) declared its first-ever amber alert status because of the dwindling supplies. As news of the amber alert broke, the blood donor website became very busy, with people placed in a queue
Trusts have been told to implement emergency plans to protect their dwindling stocks under the first ever ‘amber’ alert status
Current blood stocks stand at around three days, but levels of the universal blood type O negative have fallen below two days
Blood platelet stocks have also dropped below the one-day target levels for O positive and A positive blood types
Rory Deighton, director of the NHS Confederation’s acute network, said: ‘While this amber notice signals concern for the NHS’s blood stock, patients should be reassured that supply needed for emergency care, cancer treatment, and long-term condition management will continue unaffected.
‘However, it does mean that local services will have to begin taking a more cautious approach to how their stock is used for some non-urgent care over the next four weeks, which could include some elective procedures needing to be rescheduled.
‘If this happens, health leaders will not take this decision lightly and it will be a temporary resolve while a longer-term solution is identified.’
He added: ‘The NHS is working hard locally to ensure staffing levels can be boosted across these clinics, but the fact is that had the NHS not have to contend with 132,000 vacancies, there would be more resilience built into the system.
‘We hope this is a wake-up call to the Government for the need for a fully funded workforce strategy for health and care.’
The current shortage is thought to be partly-caused by ongoing staffing issues, with more staff needed to work at donor sessions — which are mostly full.
NHSBT claimed maintaining stocks has been a challenge in the wake of Covid, partly due to fewer people visiting collection centres in towns and cities.
But some donors have also had their appointments cancelled more recently because of the lack of staff. Staff sickness because of the virus has also led to some late minute cancellations, officials say.
NHS staff are being moved to the front line to open up more appointments. Blood can only be stored for 35 days.
Existing O negative donors are now being asked to book in at centres to give blood, though all donors are urged to donate if they can. Visitors to the NHS donation website were met with half-an-hour queues.
What does the NHS Blood and Transplant amber alert mean?
What is an amber alert?
The NHS has an official traffic-light system for handling low levels of blood.
Currently England is at ‘amber’, which means hospitals must ‘reduce and prioritise’ blood use.
Before today, the NHS was at the pre-amber stage. NHS staff were advised to be cautious of wasting stock and to try to hold back blood types that most likely run low.
The next stage, red, would force hospitals to ration blood supplies for emergencies only.
How much blood does the NHS have?
A spokeswoman for the service said current overall blood stocks in the NHS stand at 3.1 days but levels of O type blood have fallen to below two days.
O negative blood is the universal blood type which can be given to everyone.
It is vitally important during emergencies and when the blood type of the recipient is unknown.
What does this mean for hospitals?
A warning email circulated online states that hospitals have been told to postpone elective surgery which is likely to require donor blood.
The emergency measure could see thousands of routine operations cancelled.
This could include joint replacements, which require adequate stocks of blood on hand in case a patient bleeds heavily.
Already about 6.5million patients are on waiting lists for such operations, with around 300,000 waiting at least a year.
Why are supplies low?
The current amber alert is also thought to be due to ongoing staffing issues, with more staff needed to work at donor sessions.
And some experts claim it is being exacerbated by doctors failing to use a vital drug that reduces major blood loss by a quarter when given before an operation.
Blood platelet stocks have also dropped below the one-day target levels for O positive and A positive blood types.
An internal letter from NHSBT today said: ‘We are moving to Amber alert status and asking you to implement your Emergency Blood Management Arrangements for red cells at the Amber shortage level.
‘We request that actions are implemented with immediate effect or by Friday 14 October at the latest.
‘Thank you for your ongoing support whilst we have been taking action to avert a move to Amber alert level.
‘Unfortunately, our red cell stock levels are now at a point where we expect to drop below the two-day threshold.’
The alert is expected to continue for at least four weeks and will not be removed until stock have reached a ‘sustainable level’, the letter said.
A spokeswoman for the service said current overall blood stocks in the NHS stand at 3.1 days but levels of O type blood have fallen to below two days.
O negative blood is the universal blood type which can be given to everyone.
It is vitally important during emergencies and when the blood type of the recipient is unknown.
Existing O negative and O positive donors are now being asked to book in at blood donor centres to give blood.
Around one in seven people have O negative blood.
Air ambulances and emergency response vehicles carry O negative supplies for emergencies.
If overall stocks fall below two days, the highest level red alert will be issued.
Wendy Clark, interim chief executive of NHSBT, said: ‘Asking hospitals to limit their use of blood is not a step we take lightly.
‘This is a vital measure to protect patients who need blood the most.
‘Patients are our focus. I sincerely apologise to those patients who may see their surgery postponed because of this.
‘With the support of hospitals and the measures we are taking to scale up collection capacity, we hope to be able to build stocks back to a more sustainable footing.
‘We cannot do this without our amazing donors. If you are O positive or O negative in particular, please make an appointment to give blood as soon as you can.
‘If you already have an appointment, please keep it.’
Professor Cheng-Hock Toh, chairman of the National Blood Transfusion Committee, said: ‘I know that all hospital transfusion services, up and down the country, are working flat out to ensure that blood will be available for emergencies and urgent surgeries.
‘We will continue to work closely and collaboratively with NHSBT and with surgeons and anaesthetists, in particular, to minimise any inconvenience and problems to patients.’
NHS England reported blood shortages earlier during the Covid pandemic, most recently in January.
But stocks have now dropped to even lower levels, forcing the health service’s hand into acting.
Hospitals will be forced to postpone many routine procedures because they have insufficient blood stocks to allow them to go ahead safely
Hospital activity and demand for blood dropped whenever Covid rates rose sharply in previous waves.
But now high demand for emergency care and the drive to clear the elective care backlog has driven the need for more blood.
Former Health Secretary Steve Barclay issued an urgent plea for blood donations in July, warning stocks were at half their normal level.
Alongside major shortages in donations, experts claim the low stocks are also being caused by not enough doctors using vital drug that reduces major blood loss by a quarter when given before an operation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) recommends tranexamic acid is given to all patients undergoing major surgery.
But an audit of 152 NHS hospitals revealed just two thirds of eligible patients were offered the £2-per-dose drug last year.
A report published in British Journal of Anaesthesia last month claimed giving the jab to all hospital surgery patients could prevent 15,000 major bleeds per year.
Lead author Professor Ian Roberts, one of the UK’s leading experts on blood loss at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, told the Mail On Sunday: ‘It makes perfect sense for doctors and patients.
‘It is a cheap, low-risk intervention that will save tens of thousands of blood units, and lives.’
Currently, about 13,000 Britons die every year as a result of a major bleeding during surgery.
He added: ‘Not only do more doctors need to offer tranexamic acid, but we want every patient having an operation to know they can, and should, ask for it.’
What IS an amber alert? Will my operation be cancelled? Why ARE supplies low? And how do I even donate blood? Everything you need to know about the NHS’s blood supply crisis
Hospital trusts in England went into crisis mode today after the NHS issued its first ever amber alert for blood supply.
Dwindling blood stocks have lead the health service to ration supply, postponing elective surgeries like hip replacements.
Supply of the universal blood type O are particularly low, making it difficult in emergency procedures and when the blood type of the recipient is unknown.
The alert will continue for at least the next four weeks and will not be lifted until stocks return to manageable levels.
If they continue to fall, a red alert may be issued, which would see only the most serious emergency operations going ahead.
Here, MailOnline explains everything you need to know about the situation.
What is an amber alert?
The NHS has an official traffic-light system for handling low levels of blood.
Currently England is at ‘amber’, which means hospitals must ‘reduce and prioritise’ blood use.
It could see elective surgeries, such as hip replacements, cancelled.
But urgent or emergency, cancer and transplant surgeries will all continue to run as normal for now.
Before today, the NHS was at the pre-amber stage. NHS staff were advised to be cautious of wasting stock and to try to hold back blood types that most likely run low.
The next stage, red, would force hospitals to ration blood supplies for emergencies only.
How much blood does the NHS have?
NHS Blood and Transplant said current overall blood stocks in the NHS stand at 3.1 days.
It aims to have at least six days worth of stock.
Levels of O negative blood have dipped below the two-day mark.
Stocks of O positive (2.12), A positive (2.83), B negative (3.29) and AB negative (3.83) are all also below the threshold.
O negative is the universal type which can be given to everyone.
It is vitally important during emergencies and when the blood type of the recipient is unknown.
B positive, an important blood type for treating people with sickle cell disease, has 6.2 days worth of stocks, while A negative (7.12) and AB positive (9.94) are also both above the target.
Is the NHS short of platelets, too?
Meanwhile, blood platelet levels are below the one-day stock minimum for types O positive and A positive.
Platelets control bleeding in our bodies, so can be essential to surviving surgeries such as organ transplant, as well as fighting cancer, chronic diseases, and traumatic injuries.
Donor platelets are given to patients who don’t have enough of their own, a condition known as thrombocytopenia, or when a person’s platelets aren’t working correctly.
But substitutions are available for platelets when they are unavailable, unlike with regular blood stocks.
What does this mean for hospitals?
An email circulated to hospital bosses has told them to postpone elective surgery which is likely to require donor blood.
The emergency measure could see thousands of routine operations cancelled.
This could include joint replacements, which require adequate stocks of blood on hand in case a patient bleeds heavily.
Decisions will be taken by individual hospitals.
But hospitals might instead book in other surgeries, such as hernia repairs, gall-bladder removal and eye surgery, which do not require blood to be on standby.
Already about 6.5million patients are on waiting lists for such operations, with around 300,000 waiting at least a year.
Why are supplies low?
The current amber alert is also thought to be due to ongoing staffing issues, with more staff needed to work at donor sessions.
NHSBT claimed maintaining stocks has been a challenge in the wake of Covid, partly due to fewer people visiting collection centres in towns and cities.
But some donors also had their appointments cancelled more recently because of the lack of staff.
NHSBT say bookings have been dropped at the last minute because of Covid and other sickness absences.
An NHSBT spokesperson told MailOnline: ‘Unfortunately we have needed to cancel some appointments — sometimes at the last minute — because of staff sickness absence.
‘Ongoing staff shortage issues have been caused by accelerated turnover and the time it takes to recruit and train new colleagues.
‘This has left NHS Blood and Transplant vulnerable to short term sickness, which remains high due to increases in Covid cases.
‘This has led to unavoidable cancellations of high numbers of donor appointments, impacting collections and stock levels.’
Is there a potential solution?
Experts say one vital tool that could help procedures go ahead is being neglected in NHS hospitals.
A drug called tranexamic acid reduces major blood loss by a quarter when given before an operation.
The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends it is given to all patients undergoing major operations.
But an audit of 152 NHS hospitals revealed just two thirds of eligible patients were offered the £2-per-dose drug last year.
A report published in British Journal of Anaesthesia last month claimed giving the jab to all hospital surgery patients could prevent 15,000 major bleeds per year.
Lead author Professor Ian Roberts, one of the UK’s leading experts on blood loss at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said this could reduce the current and future strains on blood stocks.
He told the Mail On Sunday: ‘It makes perfect sense for doctors and patients. It is a cheap, low-risk intervention that will save tens of thousands of blood units, and lives.’
Currently, about 13,000 Britons die every year as a result of a major bleeding during surgery.
He added: ‘Not only do more doctors need to offer tranexamic acid, but we want every patient having an operation to know they can, and should, ask for it.’
How can I donate blood?
If you would like to donate blood, you can register online at www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23.
When you log into your account, you are able to find an appointment.
As news of the amber alert broke, the blood donor website became very busy, with people placed in a queue.
NHS Blood and Transplant said: ‘You can book an appointment to give blood as soon as you register as a blood donor.
‘However, the next convenient appointment might not be straightaway.
‘This could be because we already have a good supply of your blood type.
‘People need blood all year round so your donation will still save lives, even if your appointment is in a few months’ time.’
What happens when I donate?
When you are comfortable in the chair, a nurse will put a cuff on your arm to maintain a small amount of pressure during donation (this does not measure blood pressure).
They then examine your arm to find a suitable vein and clean it with an antiseptic sponge.
A needle will be inserted into your arm which will collect your blood into a blood bag with your unique donor number.
You should not feel any discomfort or pain. If you do, tell a member of staff.
A scale weighs the blood and stops when you have donated 470ml (or just under a pint). This usually takes between 5-10 minutes.
The needle will be removed and a sterile dressing applied to your arm.
Your donation is transported to one of our blood centres where it is tested and processed before being issued to hospitals.
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