NHS Confederation responds to the amber notice issued by NHS Blood and Transplant

Responding to the amber notice issued by NHS Blood and Transplant, Rory Deighton, director of the NHS Confederation’s acute network said:

“While this amber notice signals concern for the NHS’s blood stock, patients should be reassured that supply needed for emergency care, cancer treatment, and long-term condition management will continue unaffected.

“However, it does mean that local services will have to begin taking a more cautious approach to how their stock is used for some non-urgent care over the next four weeks, which could include some elective procedures needing to be rescheduled. If this happens, health leaders will not take this decision lightly and it will be a temporary resolve while a longer-term solution is identified.

“If anyone is able to donate blood, now is the time for them to come forward. The NHS is working hard locally to ensure staffing levels can be boosted across these clinics, but the fact is that had the NHS not have to contend with 132,000 vacancies, there would be more resilience built into the system. We hope this is a wake-up call to the Government for the need for a fully funded workforce strategy for health and care.”