In October the Department of Health published its review of NHSBT’s commercial effectiveness. I am very pleased that publication of the review ended a significant period of uncertainty for our donors, staff, partners and stakeholders, brought on by speculation about its possible outcomes. I have been able to reassure all those with an interest in our work that there are no recommendations to privatise NHSBT.

The review nevertheless provided an opportunity to rigorously test our strategy and I am delighted that the findings endorse our unique role in saving lives through voluntary donation and the plans we have in place to do this, at least cost to the taxpayer.


The review findings particularly highlighted the importance of our work on developing an integrated transfusion service; our ongoing work with hospitals to encourage the appropriate use of blood for transfusions; and the significant improvements we have made to productivity, allowing us to reduce the price of blood, resulting in £30 million in annual savings to the NHS.

We greatly appreciated the strength of support we received for our life saving work during the review process. These expressions of how much our role is valued inspire us to continue to do the best we can to help save and improve the lives of patients through the products and services we provide.

For more information about the review, how we can work together to promote donation, or any aspect of our work, please get in touch.

Lynda Hamlyn, Chief Executive

Change to blood donor criteria
The permanent exclusion of men who have sex with men from blood donation was changed to a fixed period deferral of 12 months on 7 November 2011 following an evidence based review by the Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs. The change was implemented by NHSBT at blood donation sessions in England and North Wales. NHSBT welcomes the change as it is supported by the latest scientific evidence and allows us to broaden donor acceptance. The review concluded that blood safety would not be affected by the change but that donor adherence to all selection criteria was key to blood safety. Further information including FAQs can be found on our website.

Cord blood collections expanded
Following the announcement of £4m in funding from the Government earlier this year, NHSBT has increased cord blood collections as part of a collaboration with Anthony Nolan to increase the availability of donor stem cells for patients needing a transplant. As well as moving to 24/7 collection at existing collection centres, NHSBT has opened a sixth collection centre at University College Hospital in London. These developments will mean more mothers have the opportunity to donate their cord blood to help seriously-ill patients who may not have found a suitable bone marrow match.

Find out more about cord blood donation

Black and Asian Organ Donation Campaign
In September NHSBT began the next phase of the campaign to encourage more people from Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) communities to join the Organ Donor Register and discuss donation wishes with family members. People from BME communities are three times more likely to need an organ transplant and have to wait on average three times as long as a white person for a transplant. The campaign runs until Spring 2012 and includes outreach events across England. Please see our website for more information or get in touch.

Proposals for organ donation opt-out
The Welsh Government has published its Organ Donation Bill White Paper to introduce a soft opt-out system of organ and tissue donation in Wales. This would mean that unless an individual opts out, their organs and tissues will be available for donation after their death. NHSBT welcomes the proposal as it will help to raise awareness of the importance of organ donation, and supports any change that encourages people to discuss and support organ donation. NHSBT is the UK organ donation organisation and will work within any legislative framework that is introduced in the four health administrations in the UK.

Blood for the Battlefield
NHSBT staff at Birmingham and Bristol have won the Military and Civilian Health Partnership Awards 2011 Deployed Healthcare category for their work in helping save lives on the front line in Afghanistan. The staff were also nominated for the Innovation and Service Development category. Together, NHSBT and MoD partners have provided blood, plasma and platelets to help save the lives of critically injured soldiers. Dr Heidi Doughty, Consultant in Transfusion Medicine at NHSBT, said: "Transfusion saves the lives of seriously injured soldiers on military operations and we have successfully worked together to ensure safe and sufficient 'Blood for the Battlefield.'

Daniel De-Gale Blood Donation Week
NHSBT worked with leading leukaemia charity, the ACLT, in October to urge all African, Caribbean and mixed race individuals across the country to come forward to commemorate the legacy of an inspirational individual, Daniel De-Gale, by donating blood. The week coincided with the 3rd anniversary since Daniel’s passing on 8th October 2008. Daniel, like so many others who receive treatment for leukaemia, relied on regular blood transfusions to help maintain his health. There continues to be an urgent need for more blood donors from Black and Asian Minority Ethnic communities to meet demand. Register as a blood donor.

Annual review sees improved efficiency
The NHSBT Annual Review 2010/11, published in September, details delivery against four key objectives covering a broad range of activity which all help to save and improve patients' lives. Five pounds off the price of each bag of blood, the highest number of organs donated and a major 10-year strategy for stem cells were just three of the achievements delivered last year. To deliver its lifesaving work NHSBT relies on 1.4 million blood donors to support 52 million potential patients and on those who agree to donate an organ or tissues or stem cells to help someone else, often a complete stranger.

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