NHS makes urgent call for blood donors following major cyberattack

An urgent appeal has been launched for blood donations following the cyberattack on major London hospitals.

NHS Blood and Transplant is asking for O blood type donors to book appointments following the critical incident which has left affected hospitals unable to match patients’ blood as quickly as usual.

Operations and other procedures have been postponed as a result of the attack.

O positive and O negative blood types are the most compatible for patients, with O negative able to be given to anyone. Air and road ambulances carry O negative because it can be used even if a patient’s blood type is unknown.

However, while just 8% of the population are O negative, it makes up around 15% of hospital orders. 

O positive is the most common blood type – 35% of donors have it, and it can be given to anybody with any positive blood type. This means three in every four people, or 76% of the population, can benefit from an O-positive donation.

However, blood only has a shelf-life of 35 days, meaning stocks need to be continually replenished, and with demand increasing while hospitals are unable to match specific types, more donors are needed.

This National Blood Week it has been revealed that three blood donations are needed every minute in hospitals. There are about 13,000 appointments available nationally this week in NHS Blood Donor Centres, with 3,400 available in London.

Dr Gail Miflin, chief medical officer at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: ‘Patient safety is our absolute priority.

What does positive and negative mean?

Blood type is classified by the type of antigens, or protein molecules, found on the surface of red blood cells. These can be either A or B. Some people have one, some have both – AB type – and some have none – O.

Also roaming the blood are antibodies, proteins that are part of the body’s immune system designed to track down and destroy foreign invaders. These are also A and B types. A person with blood type A has B antibodies, and vice versa. Those with O type blood have both A and B antibodies, and people with AB have no A or B antibodies.

These pairings are why getting the right blood transfusion is so important. If a person with A type blood receives type B blood, the A antibodies in the plasma will attack and destroy the blood cells.

However, in 1940, scientists Karl Landsteiner and Alexander Wiener discovered that in some cases a blood transfusion of the same type could still cause a severe reaction. This was found to be due to another antigen, D, or the rhesus (Rh) factor. 

Most people have this antigen, and are classed as Rhesus positive – named after the macaques the scientists tested to make their discovery. Figures vary depending on country and race, but roughly 93% of the population is either A+, B+, AB+ or O+, and can receive either Rh positive or negative transfusions.

That leaves 7% of the population whose blood type is Rh negative, and can only receive negative blood in a transfusion.

‘When hospitals do not know a patient’s blood type or cannot match their blood, it is safe to use O-type blood. To support London hospitals to carry out more surgeries and to provide the best care we can for all patients, we need more O negative and O positive donors than usual.

‘Please book an urgent appointment to give blood at one of our 25 town and city donor centres which currently have good appointment availability.

‘We have availability for donors who know they are type O, but we also welcome new donors who don’t yet know their blood type.

‘You might have one of these special types that can be used in emergencies.’

Professor Stephen Powis, medical director for NHS England, said: ‘NHS staff are continuing to go above and beyond to minimise the significant disruption to patients following the ransomware cyber-attack on Synnovis earlier this week.

‘Urgent and emergency services are available as usual so patients should access services in the normal way by dialling 999 in an emergency and otherwise use NHS 111 through the NHS App, online or on the phone.

‘But unfortunately, we know that a number of operations and appointments have been postponed or diverted to other neighbouring hospitals not impacted by the cyber-attack, as we prioritise pathology services for the most clinically urgent cases.

‘To help London staff support and treat more patients, they need access to O negative and O positive blood, so if one of these is your blood type, please come forward to one of the 13,000 appointments currently available in NHS Blood Donor Centres.’

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