Scotland faces an amber blood donation alert after stockpiles dropped below required levels due to falling donor numbers.
Hospitals across the country received the warning from the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service. Medical staff were urged to use Type O blood only when essential.
Stocks have consistently stayed below target levels for several weeks. Group O blood fell below two days of reserves on several occasions recently.
The SNBTS aims to retain a five to seven day supply of all blood groups. Type O blood holds particular importance because O-negative acts as a universal donor and O-positive serves as the most common blood type in the UK, accounting for about 35% of the population.
The amber alert triggers new protocols in hospitals to minimize non-essential usage of O-type blood. Emergency operations, blood transfusions, transplants, and cancer surgeries continue as normal.
The alert was initially issued for a period of four to six weeks. Officials keep the situation under close review.
| Metric | Target | Current Status / Reality |
|---|---|---|
| Reserves Duration | 5 – 7 Days Supply | Below 2 Days for Group O on Several Occasions |
| Annual Hospital Need | ~135,000 Units | Dependent on Full Appointment Slots Year-Round |
| Donor Retention Drop | N/A | 24% Drop (~30,000 people) Over Past Decade |
| Active Population Share | N/A | ~2% of Scotland’s Population Signed Up |
Hospitals need an estimated 135,000 units of blood each year to treat patients. To meet this demand, appointments at the five national donor centres in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, and Inverness must stay fully booked all year round, according to the SNBTS.
An average of just 85% of these appointment slots are filled. Over the past decade, the service recorded a 24% drop in blood donors, representing about 30,000 people, while struggling particularly to attract younger donors.
Debbie McNaughton, director of donor and transport services at the SNBTS, spoke on Radio Scotland Breakfast about the current demographic participation. About 2% of Scotland’s population are signed up to give blood, with the majority donating once a year, she reported.
If they could be donating maybe twice or three times a year, that would hugely help to provide resilience for the blood supply.
McNaughton urged anyone who is healthy and 17 or over to sign up to the donor register. The amber alert remains in effect while health authorities monitor inventory levels.
