The Transfusion Transformation Symposium will be held on 10th June 2024 and will inform the next 5-year strategy for clinical and laboratory transfusion practice.
Transfusion underpins many areas of care across the NHS, with approximately 2 million units of blood components given each year to patients in England. Transfusion is lifesaving but should only be given if essential with careful consideration of risks, benefits, and available alternatives as part of a patient centred approach.
Based on the foundations of the Better Blood Transfusion initiatives, a symposium in 2019 organised by the National Blood Transfusion Committee and NHS Blood and Transplant and supported by NHS England, informed the development of the five-year Transfusion 2024 plan. This focussed on key priorities including appropriate blood use, information technology, laboratory safety and research and innovation.
We want to continue making a positive difference in transfusion care and we must also continue to learn lessons from the past through the reporting of the Infected Blood Inquiry. The Inquiry was chaired by Sir Brian Langstaff with the final report published on 20th May 2024. While there have been significant improvements since these tragic events, we must continue to strive in our efforts to put patient safety at the heart of everything we do.
Building further on the Transfusion 2024 plan, Transfusion Transformation will highlight further action needed towards an integrated and strategically focussed organisational approach to enable better transfusion care for patients.