// BBC HEALTH NEWS — SALUTE
Amber alert as Scotland faces blood donation shortages
Stockpiles of blood have dropped below required levels due to falling donor numbers
An amber alert has come into force for the first time as stocks of blood in Scotland have dropped to unprecedented low levels due to the shortage of donors.
The warning has been sent to hospitals across the country by the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS), urging medical staff to only use Type O blood when essential.
Type O blood is particularly important for transfusions as O-negative acts as a universal donor and O-positive is the most common blood type in the UK, with about 35% of the population having it.
Stocks have consistently been below target levels for several weeks and Group O blood has fallen to below two days of reserves on several occasions recently.
SNBTS aims to always retain 5 – 7 days supply of all blood groups.
The alert comes after a decline in people joining the blood donation register.
In the past decade SNBTS said there had been a 24% drop in blood donors - about 30,000 people.
The blood transfusion service said it was particularly struggling to attract younger donors.
Hospitals are estimated to need about 135,000 units of blood each year to treat patients.