The NHS has launched an urgent appeal for blood donors in Birmingham and across England, targeting three specific blood types to combat a critical winter shortage.
Critical Blood Types in High Demand
NHS Blood and Transplant and NHS England are calling for donors with O negative, B negative, and the Ro subtype to come forward immediately. They need to fill a staggering 136,000 appointments available over the next eight weeks to ensure hospitals have sufficient supplies.
Winter consistently presents a major challenge for maintaining blood stocks. Factors like bad weather, seasonal illnesses, and busier schedules lead to a higher number of missed appointments. Simultaneously, hospital demand for blood often increases, creating a perfect storm that depletes vital reserves.
Why These Blood Types Are So Vital
The need is most acute for O negative blood, known as the universal blood type. It can be given to any patient in an emergency, such as after a serious accident or during complicated childbirth. It is the type carried by ambulances and air ambulances for use at the scene of an incident.
Despite being found in just 8% of the population, O negative accounts for over 16% of all blood used by hospitals. The NHS specifically requires 10,000 extra O negative donors to book a donation before Christmas to meet this urgent need.
There is also high demand for B negative blood, one of the rarer blood types found in only 2% of people. Furthermore, more Ro subtype blood is desperately needed. This subtype is most common in people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritage and is crucial for patients with conditions like sickle cell who require regular transfusions or full blood exchanges.
When Ro blood is unavailable, hospitals must use O negative or B negative as substitutes, which places additional strain on the already limited stocks of these types.
How You Can Help Save Lives
Mark Chambers, Director of Donor Experience at NHS Blood and Transplant, emphasised the urgency: "Right now, we are calling for the help of donors with specific blood types to keep blood stocks strong by booking an appointment to donate in the crucial weeks between now and Christmas."
He encouraged donors, stating: "If you can’t see an available appointment on our site, call us and we will find you one. Donating a unit of blood takes just an hour and each donation can save up to three lives."
Existing donors with the needed blood types will be given priority access to appointments and are urged to call the helpline if they struggle to find a slot. The service is also keen to attract new donors to help find more people with these specific types.
To donate, you can book an appointment via www.blood.co.uk, the GiveBlood app, or by calling 0300 123 23 23. The Birmingham donor centre is conveniently located on the second floor at 65 New Street in the city centre. With over 5,000 blood donations needed every day across England, every donation makes a critical difference.
