Call for more blood donors to fill appointments as NHS steps up planned surgery in run up to Christmas

THE NHS urgently needs more people with specific blood types to come forward as Hospitals work to reduce the backlog of planned surgery as well as preparing for the usual busy winter period.

New figures reveal that hospitals across England are currently ordering almost 400 units of blood a week more than usual as they work hard to reduce elective surgery waiting lists in the lead up to Christmas. This, plus ongoing commitment to high numbers of routine blood transfusions and exchanges for conditions including:- sickle cell and cancer, is creating high demand for critical types including:- O negative (the universal blood type), B negative and the Ro subtype, which is predominantly found in people of Black African and Black Caribbean heritages.

Winter is always a challenging time for blood stocks as bad weather, seasonal illness and busier diaries lead to more unfilled and missed appointments, and at the same time demand for blood from hospitals can rise. This can particularly impact stocks of vital O negative blood, which is the universal blood type used for all patients in emergencies, and B negative, 1 of the rarer blood types, found in just 2% of the population.

NHS Blood and Transplant and NHS England are appealing for donors to come forward and fill 136,000 appointments available over the next 8 weeks to help boost stocks and ensure the NHS can meet this additional demand for blood as we head into the winter period.

The NHS needs 10,000 extra O negative donors to book in to donate before Christmas, in order to ensure hospitals have the blood they need to treat patients in emergency situations, including:- during childbirth as well as any accidents or incidents which cause a patient to suffer major blood loss. O negative blood is the type carried by ambulances and air ambulances and can be given to patients at the scene before they are transferred to hospital. O negative blood is only found in 8% of the population, but accounts for over 16%of all blood used by hospitals.

More Ro blood; a blood subtype most common among people of Black heritage; is also needed due to an increasing number of patients reliant on regular transfusions or full blood exchanges. When Ro blood isn't available, O negative and B negative are both frequently used as a substitute, which places extra demand on stocks of these vital blood types.

Mark Chambers Director of Donor Experience at NHS Blood and Transplant, says:- "Right now, we are calling for the help of donors with specific blood types to keep blood stocks strong by booking an appointment to donate in the crucial weeks between:- now and Christmas. With over 100,000 appointments available to book over the next:- 8 weeks, we are urging those with the blood types:- O negative, B negative and Ro to come in and donate. If you can't see an available appointment on our site, call us and we will find you 1. Donating a unit of blood takes just an hour and each donation can save up to 3 lives. We also really need new donors so we can find more people with these specific types. If you've never given blood before, please book into:- 1 of our 28 Town and City centre blood donor centres where we have good appointment availability."

NHS Blood and Transplant has 28 donor centres situated in major Towns and Cities and these centres will usually have the best availability, however additional appointments are also being added at mobile community sessions around the country.

Existing donors with:- Ro, O negative or B negative blood types will be given priority access to appointments and are urged to call the helpline if they are struggling to find availability.

Hospitals across England need more than 5,000 blood donations every day to ensure they have the blood they need to treat patients for a wide variety of reasons, including:- traumatic injuries or accidents, cancer treatments, sickle cell and childbirth, as well as planned surgery.

Book an appointment  via:- Blood.Co.UK, the GiveBlood app or calling:- 03001232323.

LIVERPOOL City Council is teaming up with:- 'Keep Britain Tidy' for:- ‘Fight fly tipping Fortnight,' a new campaign to crack down on rogue:- 'white van' operators.

The campaign, which will run until:- Sunday, 23 November 2025, has been created to help residents protect themselves and their communities from the growing issue of waste crime.

fly tipping costs Councils across England millions of pounds every year in clean up costs, draining money that could otherwise be spent on essential local services.

In Liverpool, the Council cleared a total of 17,291 incidents in the past year, an increase of 4.3%, costing taxpayers approximately £1 million. This could otherwise have been spent on improving local parks and greenspaces or introducing new public bins on the streets.

The campaign calls on people in the City to protect themselves and their communities from falling for a #RubbishDeal; low-cost, unlicensed services offered on social media by organised waste criminals.

Fight fly tipping Fortnight aims to shine a spotlight on rogue operators, who lure people in with cheap seals, only to illegally dump household waste on streets, fields and public spaces.

As part of the campaign, the Council is calling on households to take 3 simple steps to help them avoid rogue traders who are more likely to dump their rubbish on the streets:-

• Ask for a waste carrier registration number.
  
  

• Check it on the Environment Agency's public register online or by calling:- 03000653000.
  
  

• Check whether the company will provide a receipt.

When fly tipping is discovered or reported, the Council's Environmental Crime Enforcement team works closely with City Watch to try to track down the offender. Together, they use CCTV footage, photographs, witness statements, and potential evidence in the waste to find out who is responsible.

To further combat fly tipping, the Council has increased the rate of penalties to deter people from offending, as well as stepping up enforcement efforts with its internal team and new external enforcement provider, WISE.

Litterers will now face a £150 penalty, while those caught dog fouling will be ordered to pay £100. A tiered penalty system has been introduced for fly tipping, starting at £500, increasing depending on severity.

Anyone found to be dumping commercial or business waste will receive a FPN of £1,000. Vehicles used for fly tipping can also be seized by the Council to prevent further misuse.

Once an initial investigation has taken place, the waste will be cleared.

Incidents of fly tipping can be reported on the Council website.

Councillor Laura Robertson Collins, Cabinet Member for Communities, Neighbourhoods and Streetscene said:- "fly tipping is a blight on our streets and within our communities. We understand and share the frustration that residents have when they see illegally dumped rubbish. Our teams work tirelessly to track down offenders and clear the waste as soon as they can. Whether it's fly tipping in popular visitor areas, people's alleyways, outside Schools or even within our cemeteries, they have eyes across the whole City. fly tipping costs taxpayers thousands each year to clear up. That's money that could, and should, be spent on making sure our City has services available to all residents and young people to help them thrive. It isn't just about clearing fly tipping once it's happened either, it's about preventing it from happening in the 1st place, and that's where we need the help of our communities the most. If a deal looks too good to be true, it probably is and ultimately it's our well meaning residents and communities who pay the price."

Dr. Anna Scott, Director of Services at Keep Britain Tidy said:- "Councils are on the frontline of the fight against fly tipping, responding day in, day out to clear dumped waste and keep our public spaces safe and clean. We know how much pressure this puts on already stretched local teams and we're incredibly grateful to Liverpool City Council for joining forces with us for Fight fly tipping Fortnight. This campaign is about empowering residents to play their part in tackling this growing issue. By making simple checks before handing over waste and always getting a receipt, people can protect themselves from rogue traders, stop organised criminal networks in their tracks and help ensure public money is spent where it's needed most."