Donations of rare blood type 'urgently needed'

Hospitals in England need thousands of blood donations every day, said the NHS

The NHS has pleaded for donations of a rare blood type, saying supplies are at risk of "running low".

Some 2,500 eligible B negative donors in the south-east of England have been asked by the health service to boost stocks, which are currently "under pressure".

More people with this type of blood have also been urged by the NHS to come forward as donors.

NHS director of blood supply Gerry Gogarty said: "B negative donors are immensely important to our lifesaving work... it can be a challenge to always collect enough."

Supplies were at one of the lowest points in recent years due to a shrinking donor base - following a loss of 1,000 donors since 2023 - and recent high demand, the NHS said.

Only two per cent of the population has B negative blood, making it one of the rarest types, according to the NHS.

Patients with the B negative blood type can only receive B negative or O negative blood, meaning that low stocks can also strain emergency supplies of this other blood type.

Hospitals across England need more than 5,000 blood donations every day, the NHS said.

Blood supplies are needed for a wide variety of reasons, including traumatic injuries or accidents, cancer treatments, sickle cell and childbirth, it continued.

Mr Gogarty urged potential donors to book an appointment, use the GiveBlood app or call 0300 123 23 23.