The NHS needs one million regular blood donors to maintain its blood supply, officials have said.
Low blood stocks prompted officials to issue an “amber alert” over supply for hospitals last year and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said that more must be done to avoid a “red alert”, which means that blood supply is so low that there is a threat to public safety.
Officials described the last year as “challenging” for blood stocks, highlighting how just 2% of the population keep the nation’s blood stocks afloat.
This means just under 800,000 people sustained the whole of England’s blood supply over the past 12 months and NHSBT said one million donors are needed to meet demand.
NHSBT said that there has been a rise in the number of people who registered to be donors in the last year, but only 24% of these have gone on to donate.
The amber alert was triggered in July 2024 after a cyber attack on London hospitals.
And blood stocks have remained low ever since, officials said.
It said there is a “critical” need for more donors who have the so-called universal blood type – O negative blood – which is needed for treatment in emergencies.
There is also a need for more black donors, who are more likely to have specific blood types which can help treat people with sickle cell disease.
NHSBT chief executive Dr Jo Farrar said: “There are many thousands of people who donate regularly and help us keep patients alive. Thank you. You are amazing. You keep the NHS going and save and transform thousands of lives a year.
“Our stocks over the past 12 months have been challenging. If we had a million regular donors, this would help keep our stocks healthy – you’d truly be one in a million.
“Please book an appointment today, experience how good it feels to save lives, and come and do it again in a few months.”
Two thirds of the blood collected is used to treat people who rely on blood transfusions including people with cancer and those with blood conditions.
One family is backing the campaign for more donors due to their own experience receiving regular blood transfusions.
Four-year-old Isaac Balmer, from Hull, was born with hereditary spherocytosis – a genetic blood condition which causes red blood cells to break down faster than normal, leading to severe anaemia and other complications.
He receives blood transfusions every 12 weeks.
His mother Jasmin Suggit, a newborn hearing scanner at the hospital where Isaac receives his treatment, said: “It’s been a rollercoaster; Isaac’s haemoglobin levels fluctuate, and when they drop significantly, he becomes lethargic and jaundiced.
“But when he receives his transfusion, you see the colour return to his cheeks, and his energy levels soar before our eyes. It is incredible.
“During his transfusions, he refers to donor blood as ‘Hulk blood’ and imagines himself becoming stronger and healthier, but this wouldn’t be possible without the real life, everyday superheroes who keep Isaac and others like him alive, thanks to their regular blood donations.”
Health Minister Baroness Merron said: “The NHS is in urgent need of more lifesaving blood donors from all backgrounds. We are working alongside NHS Blood and Transplant to make donating blood easier than ever before, opening up new donor centres and making appointments available closer to home.”
