§ Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what impact on the annual blood supply there will be from the introduction of short-term donation bans on donors who have visited areas where emerging pathogens and viruses are notified. [123389]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe National Blood Service (NBS) has recently introduced deferral bans for blood donors, which apply to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and West Nile Fever virus. The NBS expects that this will reduce donations by 15,000 units.
111W
§ Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) if he will publish national guidelines on alternatives to blood transfusions; [123382]
(2) when the National Network of Transfusion Committees will publish its guidance on better blood transfusion and alternatives. [123384]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonThe National Blood Service appropriate use of blood group is drawing up specific guidance on strategies for the appropriate use of blood and the use of alternatives to don or blood. Guidance is expected to be available for consideration by the Chief Medical Officers National Blood Transfusion Committee later this year, when a publication route and timetable will be discussed.
§ Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health (1) when he intends to publish the results of the survey of hospital transfusion committees on Appropriate Use of Blood HSC 2002/009; [123386]
(2) when he will publish the results of the National Transfusion Committee audit of blood transfusion initiatives. [123387]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonAn audit by the National Blood Service to review the implementation of Health Service Circular 2002/009, Better Blood Transfusion—Appropriate Use of Blood, issued in July 2002 is currently underway. The results will be submitted to the National Blood Transfusion Committee later this year when the publication route and timetable will be discussed.
In addition, the Royal College of Physicians and the National Blood Service National Comparative Audit Team are undertaking collaborative transfusion audits.
§ Mr. HavardTo ask the Secretary of State for Health how many units of red blood cells were commissioned for use in the NHS in each of the last five years. [123388]
§ Miss Melanie JohnsonInformation on the number of red cell units issued by the National Blood Service to hospitals in England and North Wales for the last five years is shown in the table.
Red cell units issued 1998–99 2,213,000 1999–2000 2,243,000 2000–01 2,229,000 2001–02 2,206,000 2002–03 2,186,000 Notes:
- 1. This includes issues to private hospitals
- 2. The figures shown include paediatric red cells. As these smaller units are produced by dividing a donation of blood, the numbers of these units have been aggregated into full unit equivalents and added to the total.