§ Mr. WareingTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what advice he has received on the levels of blood held at the blood transfusion centres; and what changes have taken place during the last six months of 1995 at each of these centres. [8563]
§ Mr. HoramBlood stocks at blood centres are quite low at present, but this is often the case at this time of year because of seasonal and other fluctuations in supply and demand. Stocks at blood centres are not the whole picture. Hospitals also have their own blood banks, drawing supplies from the national blood service blood banks.
The figures over the last six months for individual centres are:
343W
12 July 16 September 13 September 11 October 15 November 13 December Wessex 804 1,966 1,923 1,761 1,849 1,061 Lancaster 421 624 646 568 329 358 Leeds 1,866 2,596 2,281 2,408 1,168 920 Liverpool 1,604 2,516 2,139 2,372 1,341 954 Manchester 751 1,412 601 742 825 527 Newcastle 965 1,920 1,667 1,456 1,045 1,044 Trent 950 2,165 1,535 1,318 1,213 1,147 Totals 15,485 27,950 23,354 19,788 17,777 12,934 These figures are based on the position on the middle Wednesday of each month. There have been no organisational changes at any of the blood centres during this period. The National Blood Authority arranges for supplies to be moved between centres as necessary, so assistance can be given if there are particular problems in any area.