An amber alert has been issued for the first time in Scotland due to critically low blood stocks. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has sent the warning to hospitals across the country, advising medical staff to use Type O blood only when essential.
SNBTS aims to maintain a five to seven-day supply of all blood groups, but stocks have been consistently below target for several weeks. Group O blood, which includes the universal donor O-negative and the most common O-positive type, has fallen to below two days of reserves on multiple occasions recently.
The alert follows a 24% decline in blood donors over the past decade, representing approximately 30,000 people. The SNBTS stated it is particularly struggling to attract younger donors. Currently, about 2% of Scotland's population are registered to give blood, with most donating once a year.
New protocols will be triggered in hospitals to minimise non-essential use of O-type blood. However, emergency operations, blood transfusions, transplants, and cancer surgeries will continue as normal. The alert is initially for four to six weeks and will be kept under review.