amber alert issued as Scotland faces blood donation shortages

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has issued an amber alert due to blood stock levels falling below required targets in recent months, BBC Health reported.

Hospitals across Scotland have been urged to limit the use of Type O blood, which is crucial for transfusions because O-negative is a universal donor type and O-positive is the most common blood group in the UK.

Stockpiles of Group O blood have dropped to less than two days of reserves on several occasions, while SNBTS aims to maintain a 5 to 7 day supply of all blood groups.

The shortage is linked to a 24% decline in blood donors over the past decade, equating to about 30,000 fewer donors, with particular difficulty attracting younger donors.

Hospitals require approximately 135,000 units of blood annually, and SNBTS needs to keep appointment slots at its five national donor centers in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness fully booked year-round, but currently only about 85% of slots are filled on average.