The NHS warned that it continues to face a “difficult” blood shortage while it calls 200,000 new donors to manifest itself.
Concerns about blood stocks prompted the health service to issue an “Amber alert” last year, which means that supplies were low enough to have an impact on patient treatment.
The supplies have remained weak since, with officials warning that there is a “critical” need of more donors who have a negative blood, which can be given to the majority of patients.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), the body that oversees the blood donation system of England, said that the number of regular donors must drop from around 800,000 to more than a million to maintain a safe and reliable supply.
Dr. Jo Farrar, Director General of the NHSBT, said: “Our actions in the past 12 months have been difficult. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our actions healthy – you would really be one million.”
There is an urgent need to avoid a “red alert”, which would mean that demand far exceeds capacity, threatening public security, added the NHSBT.
The Minister of Health, Baroness Merron, said the NHS was in the “urgent need” of more blood donors from all walks of life.
“We work alongside blood and the transplantation of the NHS to make the blood donation easier than ever, opening new centers of donors and making appointments closer to their home,” she added.
The NHSBT highlighted the need for more black donors in particular, as they are more likely to have specific blood groups that can help treat people with sickle cell anemia.
Only 2% of the population keeps the country’s blood stocks afloat by making a donation regularly, said the body. Donors are defined as regular if they have made a donation in the last 12 months.
The number of people registering as donors increased in 2024, but only 24% of them made a donation.
The call comes almost a year after the NHS issued an Amber alert for the second time in its history, last July.
He was caused by what the NHS called a “perfect storm” of un-filled appointments in donor centers and increased demand following a cyber attack, which affected the services in London.
At that time, negatives’ stocks were only 1.6 days and 4.3 days for all types of blood.
Two -thirds of the blood deducted by the NHSBT are used to treat people who rely on regular blood transfusions, including people with cancer and blood conditions.