An urgent plea for blood donors to come forward has been issued by the health secretary as stocks required to carry out critical operations run low.
Steve Barclay said the NHS is running on three-and-half days’ worth of blood reserves – whereas it normally aims to hold six days.
If supplies drop to two days, the NHS will trigger an “amber alert” which could lead to hospitals having to cancel planned operations – at a time when the health service is already grappling with record waiting lists for treatment.
Mr Barclay, who donated blood at a hospital in Stratford in east London today, insisted there is still “plenty of supplies” with levels currently 50% above amber.
But he said it was important to be “proactive” in calling for donations to stop reserves plunging further over the summer holidays.
He said: “Stocks of blood supplies are lower than we would like. We still have plenty of supply, but summer is a traditionally a time when donations are lower than they…
