§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many regional transfusion centres are able to offer medical, scientific and technical training within their region, and at what level.
§ Mr. MoyleAll regional transfusion centres provide at whatever level is appropriate the specialised training needed for staff who work in the National Blood Transfusion Service or who intend to make a career in this service. In addition, the National Blood Transfusion Service provides specialised training for clinicians who wish to study blood group serology and problems relating to blood transfusion. It is for the individual health authorities to decide what training they should provide in the light of the needs at the time and the availability of resources.
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§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many units of blood are being made available to private hospitals; how this affects National Health Service patients; and what are the arrangements for recouping from private patients the cost of a blood transfusion.
§ Mr. MoyleIn 1976, which is the latest year for which complete figures are available, 1,844,363 units of blood were collected by the National Blood Transfusion Service in England and Wales. Approximately 2 per cent. of the total was supplied to private hospitals and nursing homes either in the form of whole blood or of components. This amount does not to any significant extent affect the service to National Health Service patients. No charge is made for a blood transfusion in a National Health Service hospital, whether to a private patient or otherwise. The charges made to private patients for any of the services provided in private hospitals are a matter for arrange-arrangement between hospital and patient. Where blood is supplied to a private hospital from NHS sources, no charge is made for the blood itself, but services involved in handling the blood should be charged for where the source of supply is an NHS hospital blood bank. Because of practical difficulties no handling charge has hitherto been imposed in the case of blood supplied by regional transfusion centres, but the matter is currently under review.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services, in view of the chronic difficulties in obtaining blood donors, what steps are being taken to alleviate the situation and introduce a more effective use of blood and blood products.
§ Mr. MoyleI am not aware of any chronic difficulties in obtaining blood donors, although there are occasionally local shortages of blood. The National Blood Transfusion Service bases its whole programme on the need to ensure the most efficient use of blood, including its use as a valuable source material for blood products, and as part of that programme directors of regional blood transfusion centres encourage clinicians to make the most economical use of blood and blood products.
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§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many consultants and scientific and technical staff are employed in the National Blood Transfusion Service.
§ Mr. MoyleAt 30th September 1976, which is the latest date for which complete figures are available, 32 medical consultants and 807 scientific and technical staff were employed in the National Blood Transfusion Service in England and Wales, including the central laboratories.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many vacancies there are in the grades of consultant and senior technical staff within the National Blood Transfusion Service; and how long the posts have been vacant.
§ Mr. MoyleAt 30th September 1976, which is the latest date for which complete figures are available, there were three vacant medical consultant posts in the National Blood Transfusion Service—NBTS—in England and Wales. Of these, two posts had been vacant for less than six months, and one post had been unfilled for more than a year. The Department does not maintain central information about vacancies for senior technical staff in the NBTS.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services how many medical staff are in training for the National Blood Transfusion Service.
§ Mr. MoyleThe information is not available in the form requested, but at 30th September 1976, the latest date for which figures are available, there were 105 senior registrar and 50 registrar posts in haematology in England and Wales. A small but increasing number of these posts are based in National Blood Transfusion Service units to provide medical staff in training with experience of blood transfusion practice.
§ Mr. Moonmanasked the Secretary of State for Social Services what has been the increase in resources made available to the National Blood Transfusion Service since its reorganisation.
§ Mr. MoyleSince the reorganisation of the National Health Service on 1st April 1974 expenditure on the National Blood Transfusion Service in England and 323W Wales, including the centrally-financed central laboratories, has been as follows:
1974–75 £11,757,506 1975–76 £15,806,099 1976–77 £18,921,856