TP2026 brought together Transfusion Practitioners and colleagues from across England for the first NTPN face-to-face event in many years, with a great turnout and an engaging programme throughout the day.
The day opened with national updates from NTPN Chair Aimi Baird, followed by Gillian Smith, Jordan Reed and Colin Lawler introducing a practical workbook to support those starting their journey as a Transfusion Practitioner. Career development and the transferrable skills gained from being a TP was a strong theme, with Samantha Conran sharing her progression from TP to Associate Director for CQI, and Dr Josephine McCullagh discussing her route from TP to Consultant Clinical Scientist.
Clinical and patient safety topics included Tim Williams on the use of TEG in major haemorrhage, James Davies on essential standards for safe transfusion in clinical IT systems, Emma McCone on GIRFT guidance for elective joint replacement surgery, and Stuart Lord on incident investigation tools for Transfusion Practitioners. There was also a strong focus on the future of the profession, with Jen Rock and Steph Tempest providing an update on the Framework and hosting an interactive session on the Professional Development Framework. Huge thanks to the TPs who helped to facilitate this part of the day. The day concluded with Rachel Moss's session, WBIT: An Unsolvable Problem… or a System Failure We Accept?, which prompted plenty of debate and reflection.
The presentations and discussions throughout the day highlighted the incredible work taking place across regions to improve consistency in transfusion practice, IT systems and incident reporting across England.
Thank you to all of our speakers, sponsors and attendees who contributed to the day. Special thanks to Ben Fitzpatrick Photography for helping to capture the occasion.
