Donors with vital O negative blood type asked to help with struggling stocks

Thousands of blood donors across the North East with the vital O negative blood type are being asked to help with struggling blood stocks.

The plea comes from the NHS, who say almost 2,500 O negative blood donors haven’t donated in the past year.

The NHS is warning that supplies of O negative blood are critically low with four bank holidays and two school breaks in just six weeks being a factor. Donations often drop over bank holidays weekends and holiday periods when people are busy.

O negative blood is the universal type that can be given to anyone, making it vital in emergencies. Just 8% of the population have O negative blood but it makes up around 16% of hospital orders. Hospitals across England need more than 5,000 blood donations every day.

Gerry Gogarty, Director of Blood Supply for NHS Blood and Transplant, said: “Our ‘missing’ O negative donors in the North East have the power to relieve the pressure on supplies of this vital blood type.

“If you are O negative and haven’t given blood in a while, please book an appointment to donate today. Don’t hesitate - patients need you now.

“Our fixed donor centres generally have the best availability. If you can’t find an appointment straight away please book further ahead or keep checking back to help fill last minute appointments or cancellations. Every donation makes a critical difference.”

A new NHS tracker shows daily appointment slots in donor centres to make it easier to book on the day. It takes an hour to donate a unit of blood and each donation can save up to three lives. Men can give blood every three months and women every four months.

While donation sessions in places like church halls are generally well filled, the permanent donor centres like the one in Newcastle city centre have good availability.

Appointments can be booked at www.blood.co.uk, in the GiveBlood app or by calling 0300 123 23 23.