§ Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) what assessment he has made of the advice from the British Committee for Standards in Haematology relating to blood transfusions and patients with chronic anaemia; [51547]
(2) what assessment he has made of the advice for the British Committee for Standards in Haematology on the benefits for chronic anaemia patients of maintaining haemoglobin levels at more than 12 g/dl. [51546]
§ Yvette CooperThe publication of guidelines from the British Committee for Standards in Haematology in 2001 provides specific advice to clinicians. The type of treatment offered to chronic anaemia patients is a matter of individual clinical judgment and discussion with the patient concerned. The Department encourages the production of local protocols, which use existing guidance produced from a sound evidence based and clinical consensus.