An urgent appeal has been issued for people in Manchester to donate blood amid a "significant shortfall" in stocks.
NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) said blood stocks are under "increased pressure", with hot weather, holidays and high demand for blood and platelets significantly impacting supplies.
Donor centres in Manchester
People in Manchester have been urged to book donation appointments at the Plymouth Grove Donor Centre or the Norfolk House Donor Centre, which is next to the Arndale shopping centre. More than 5,000 appointments are available to book across the two centres.
Give before you go
NHSBT has urged people to "give before they go" if they are heading off on a summer holiday. Stocks of certain blood groups are currently only at half of what the NHS aims for, including just over three days of O negative and B negative, compared with the usual six days target.
Across England as a whole, around 60,000 blood donation appointments need to be filled over the next six weeks.
Each donation can save up to three lives
Gerry Gogarty, director of blood and plasma supply at NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "The need for blood never stops."
"We are extremely grateful to everyone who has already donated in recent weeks, but we must act now to avoid stocks falling even further. To help boost vital life-saving supplies, we urgently need anyone eligible to donate to book an appointment as soon as they can – and help us fill appointments over the busy and hot summer ahead."
"If you can’t find an appointment straight away, please book in whenever you can find an available slot or keep checking back to help fill last minute availability or cancellations. Each donation has the power to save up to three lives."
Book a blood donation appointment at www.blood.co.uk or call 0300 123 23 23 to find your nearest session.
