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The National Blood Transfusion Committee

  • Last modified date:
    22 May 2008

The National Blood Transfusion Committee provides national support and advice on national Better Blood Transfusion initiatives.

NBTC annual reports

Minutes of NBTC meetings

Tools

Membership

Royal Colleges

Pathologists, Physicians, Surgeons, Anaesthetists, Obstetricians, Paediatricians & Child Health, Radiologists, General Practitioners, Nurses

Specialist Societies

British Society for Haematology, British Blood Transfusion Society, British Society of Haemostasis and Thrombosis, Faculty of Accident and Emergency Medicine, UK Intensive Care Society

Other professional organisations

Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) Scheme, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Specialist Practitioners of Transfusion (SPOT), National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA)

NHSBT

Medical Director, Director of Diagnostics, Development and Research, Director of Public and Customer Services, Head of Hospital Liaison, Clinical Director Patients, Transfusion Liaison Nurse Manager

Department of Health

Patient representative from the Royal College of Pathologists Patients' Liaison Group

Chairmen (or alternates) of the Regional Transfusion Committees

Remit

The overall objective is to promote good transfusion practice by providing a framework to: -

A. Channel information and advice to hospitals and Blood Services on best practice and performance monitoring with the aims of: -

  • Improving the safety of blood transfusion practice
  • Improving the appropriateness of clinical blood transfusion
  • Exploring and facilitating the implementation of methods to reduce the need for allogeneic blood transfusion
  • Listening to and informing patient concerns about blood transfusion
  • Promote the highest quality and consistency in transfusion practice

B. Consult with national groups developing guidelines in transfusion medicine in order to determine best practice.

C.  Review the performance of the transfusion-related services provided by NHSBT.

D. Identify service development needs, and provide assistance, as required, with the work of the National Commissioning Group and the Blood Stocks Management Scheme.

E. To provide appropriate patient information and seek patients' opinion on these and other transfusion experiences.

F.       Provide advice to the CMO on transfusion practice.

G.       Provide information on appropriate education and training of blood transfusion.

Scope

A. The Committee will cover the area served by NHSBT i.e. England & North Wales.

B. The Committee should ensure there is close collaboration with similar initiatives in the rest of the United Kingdom and in other countries in the EU.

C. The scope of the National Blood Transfusion Committee includes the safe and effective use of blood components, blood products and their alternatives, except for specialist areas such as the treatment of inherited disorders such as haemophilia and immunodeficiencies.

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