THE lack of O negative and B negative donors giving blood in the run up to the bank holiday weekend has meant that stocks of these groups could fall below two days.
Now NHS Blood and Transplant are asking anyone who knows they have these blood types but have not donated before to give blood now.
O negative is increasingly being used as an emergency substitute for Ro blood because there isn’t enough Ro blood to meet demand.
This rare subtype is more common in black people, but most people don’t know they have it until they donate and there is a huge shortage of them.
Currently, there are 15,000 people living with Sickle Cell in the UK, and more 300 new babies born each year with the condition.
The urgent need for O negative and B negative is driven by changes in how Sickle Cell is treated which has significantly driven up demand .
There is currently an urgent appeal for more people from the Afro Caribbean community to give blood.
O negative is also the ‘universal’ blood group and is often used when a patient’s blood type is not known, like in emergency situations.
B negative stocks are low also because many patients with serious blood disorders, need B negative blood. Only two per cent of donors are B negative.
The situation is so important that O negative and B negative donors can walk in and donate without the need to make an appointment or they can call 0300 123 23 23 to ask for a priority appointment at a community blood sessions.
Mike Stredder, Director of Blood Donation at NHS Blood and Transplant said: “The overall demand for blood is declining year on year. However, the need for specific blood groups such as Ro blood type and O negative are on the increase.
“We need an additional 4,000 regular O negative donors to those we have now to consistently provide seriously ill patients with the blood they need.”
For more information, call 0300 123 23 23 or visit www.blood.co.uk
