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Management of Emergency Red Cell shortage and Emergency Platelet shortage Emergency Blood Plan CA4058 v5.1

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Management of Emergency Red Cell shortage and Emergency Platelet shortage Emergency Blood Plan CA4058 v5.1
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Overview

The National Blood Service NBS has produced a contingency plan to ensure effective use of available blood when blood stocks have fallen to very low levels. The plan is structured to provide a framework of actions for the NBS and hospitals in three phases:

  • Green:      Normal circumstances where supply meets demand
  • Amber:     Reduced availability of blood for a short or prolonged period
  • Red:          Severe prolonged shortage

The two main aims of the plan are:

  • A reduction in hospital stock level to ensure more of the national ‘pool’ is available for essential transfusions.
  • A reduction in overall blood usage to ensure that those patients with the greatest clinical need are treated.
Categories
Clinical
Reference
Date Uploaded
13.10.2022
Date Review
13.10.2025
File Size
2471Kb


Clinical Guidelines
This guideline has been approved by the Trust's Clinical Guidelines Assessment Panel as an aid to the diagnosis and management of relevant patients and clinical circumstances. Not every patient or situation fits neatly into a standard guideline scenario and the guideline must be interpreted and applied in practice in the light of prevailing clinical circumstances, the diagnostic and treatment options available and the professional judgement, knowledge and expertise of relevant clinicians. It is advised that the rationale for any departure from relevant guidance should be documented in the patient's case notes.
The Trust's guidelines are made publicly available as part of the collective endeavour to continuously improve the quality of healthcare through sharing medical experience and knowledge. The Trust accepts no responsibility for any misunderstanding or misapplication of this document.