NHS only days away from running out of blood stocks

The UK is just days away from running out of some blood reserves as stocks plummet to critical levels.

- REBECCA THOMAS

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the body responsible for donations, warned it could be forced to trigger a red alert - the highest warning available - as hospital trusts have less than three days' worth of O-negative blood left.

Donors have been urged to book an appointment to donate at their nearest centre to help the service avert a crisis.

In a new alert on Wednesday, NHSBT said: "Regrettably, despite active hospital support and the work of our donation teams, our stock of O D negative red cells is reducing, and we have some concern that, without increased intervention, we are at risk of having to declare a red alert." If the service were to reach that stage, it would result in "severe and prolonged shortages" with hospitals having to limit operations in order to prioritise blood for emergency procedures.