THE IRISH BLOOD Transfusion Service (IBTS) is urgently seeking blood donations as current supplies for most blood groups have fallen to under three days of stock.

The service needs an additional 12,000 donations over the next four weeks to be able to respond to patient need and meet hospital demand. 

The appeal is being made ahead of the bank holiday on 27 October, with the IBTS holding additional clinics on Sunday, 19 October and after the bank holiday weekend.

Director of donor services and logistics Paul McKinney said the service is struggling to stay on top of demand, with hospitals “extremely busy at the moment” and illness circulating in the community. 

“Last week, we issued just under 2,600 units to the hospitals, which is extremely high. We’ve noticed throughout the summer, demand has been around that mark. Normally we would have expected a dip,” he told RTÉ’s Morning Ireland programme. 

He also said their clinics had experienced “quite a lot of no shows” over the last number of weeks. 

McKinney said if they do not receive enough supply, the service could have to issue an amber alert, something it has never had to do before. This would involve “getting in contact with hospitals and asking them to consider stopping some surgeries”. 

The IBTS issued just under 128,500 blood donation units to Irish hospitals last year, the highest number in over a decade. McKinney said this exceptionally high demand has further increased this year. 

The service is also urgently seeking new donors of all ages and ethnicities, particularly those of African heritage.

“We are asking people who might never have given blood before, or it’s been a while, to make it their goal to give blood, and the priceless gift of life, to those in our communities and hospitals who need it.”

He said it takes around an hour-and-a-half to two hours to donate blood, adding: “When you donate, we send you a text when your donation has been issued to a hospital, so you can just imagine the feeling knowing that you have helped save somebody’s life or certainly improved it.”

Donors who receive a text message from the IBTS can book an appointment online or contact the number provided.

Anybody interested in becoming a donor can also register their interest online.