Scotland's First Amber Blood Alert Issued as Stocks Hit Record Lows

An alert has been issued to hospitals across Scotland after blood stocks dropped to unprecedented low levels. The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service links this to a national shortage of donors and increased use of Group O blood in recent months, STV News reports. The Scottish service issued the warning on Friday.

An amber alert will come into place for the first time in Scotland at 9am on Tuesday 10 November and will initially run for four to six weeks. Medics will be asked to use Type O blood only when essential and to maximise alternatives to transfusion. Hospitals across Scotland have been alerted.

SNBTS aims to keep five to seven days of supply for all blood groups, but stocks have been below target for weeks. Donor centres have seen fewer donors, with 85 percent of appointments filled on average, and about 2 percent of eligible people give blood in Scotland. The alert starts on 10 November and runs initially for weeks.