From the Chief Executive
Welcome to our first issue of Blood Service in Brief for 2018.
Looking after the health and wellbeing of our donors is a priority that underpins the decisions we make as an organisation. This edition, you can read about changes we’ve made to the minimum age for whole blood donation to ensure younger donors are not losing iron through blood donation at a critical time in their growth and development.
You’ll also learn about a new automated screening test the Blood Service is introducing to improve access to clinical plasma components and apheresis platelets with low titre anti-A and/or anti-B, reducing the risk of potential associated transfusion reactions.
We are offering a range of transfusion-related education and training across 2018, as well as a number of resources to assist you in educating your staff on ISBT 128 – read on to find out more.
I hope your year is off to a wonderful start and that you enjoy this edition of Blood Service in Brief.
Kind regards,
Shelly Park
Chief Executive
Link to stories below
Minimum age for blood donation increases to 18
High titre anti-A/B screening of apheresis platelets and clinical plasma components
Key diary dates for 2018 – Transfusion Education 2018 Calendar