Blood donors in H&F are being urged to come forward to replenish life-saving stocks after they dropped to dangerously low levels following recent cyber crashes.
Demand for O negative and O positive blood has risen, but collections have seriously dipped because notices about appointments haven't got through.
It has triggered an Amber alert within the NHS – meaning hospitals are being asked to restrict use of O type blood to essential cases, and use substitutions when clinically safe.
The local centre on the first floor of Westfield shopping mall (it's sited between The Village and M&S) has vacant slots, so if you can donate, register online at the Give Blood website or call 0300 123 23 23 to book a time.
Blood types
The O negative blood type, used for patients receiving emergency transfusions, is known as the universal blood type... given when a patient's blood type is unknown. It makes up 16 per cent of hospital orders, yet only eight per cent of the population is O negative.
Jo Farrar, from the blood and transplant service, said: "We urgently need more O group donors to come forward and boost stocks – the need is critical."
The White City blood donor centre is one of the few in the country where younger donors outnumber older counterparts, with two in three donors aged between 17 and 44.
Three blood donations are needed every minute in hospitals to deal with emergencies, childbirth and routine treatments. Blood only has a shelf life of 35 days, so supplies are constantly needed.
