Urgent appeal for blood donors as supplies fall over Christmas

The NHS is appealing for blood donors to come forward after demand over the Christmas week exceeded collections by almost 3,000 units.

Cold weather, winter viruses and busy diaries mean donations tend to drop at this time of year.

But England remains in an Amber alert for low blood stocks and almost 11,000 appointments are available at donation centres across the country over the next fortnight.

People with O negative, B negative and Ro blood types are particularly needed in the coming weeks.

Around one in seven people have O negative blood which can be given to anyone, making them “universal donors”.

But demand for this type, which is used in life-threatening emergencies, exceeded collections by 900 units during the Christmas week.

Dr Jo Farrar, chief executive at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “New Year is a time when lots of people make resolutions. Make giving blood your resolution for 2025 and you will save up to three lives every time you donate.

“The NHS needs life-saving blood all year round, so we are asking people to help us maintain the lifesaving supply of blood to hospitals this year by booking an appointment now.

“Giving blood is quick and easy – the whole process takes just one hour. Book an appointment today and save lives this year.”

There are 27 town and city donor centres across England. Minister for Patient Safety Baroness Merron said giving blood was “a simple yet powerful way to save lives”.

She added: “We are grateful to everyone who has donated so far but we know more needs to be done.

“This New Year, make it your resolution to give blood to help protect and support our NHS over winter.”

Blood donors must be generally fit and well and aged between 17 and 65. Separate figures over the festive period showed that 35 human organs were provided by 11 donors on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

There were 8,020 people in the UK actively waiting for a transplant, the highest level in a decade, NHSBT said.

All adults in the UK are now deemed to have given consent as a potential organ donor after their death unless they choose to opt out or are in an excluded group.

The legislation was first introduced in Wales in 2015 before England (2020) and Scotland (2021) followed suit, with Northern Ireland the last to implement the policy with Daithi’s Law last June.