Transfusion Team strategy

The SNBTS Transfusion Team (SNBTS TT) comprises four regional teams (West 1, West 2, East and North) of transfusion practitioners working within territorial health boards throughout Scotland. Transfusion practitioners have either a nursing or biomedical scientist background and are subject matter experts in clinical transfusion practice.

They work within local multidisciplinary Hospital Transfusion Teams with medical and scientific colleagues and support the wider Scottish transfusion network through Hospital and Overarching Transfusion Committees and the Scottish National Blood Transfusion Committee.

In addition, the SNBTS TT is supported by a Central Team based at SNBTS Headquarters, the Jack Copland Centre, in Edinburgh and by Transfusion Support Assistants based within the regional teams.

Strategic priorities

• Work with NHS Scotland to ensure clinical transfusion practice is as safe as it can be and aligned to the patient safety agenda
• Ensure the donor's gift is used wisely through good stewardship and effective management of transfusion resources
• Promote accurate, timely and evidence based transfusion decision making for individual patient care
• Lead and innovate continuous quality improvement in clinical transfusion practice

Strategic approach

The SNBTS TT strategy comprises of three main strategic goals; Education, Communication and Data & Quality Improvement. The associated activites are outlined below.

Education

To continue to educate and develop a workforce to deliver person centred care with the key focus on the safe, effective and appropriate use of blood for patients in Scotland.

Communication

To develop effective communication between team members and the transfusion network to promote and share initiatives in clinical transfusion practice.

Data and quality improvement

To use the unique opportunity of Account for Blood (AfB) and the Scottish Transfusion Epidemiology Database (STED) along with other healthcare datasets and dashboard capabilities to set and monitor KPIs and CQIs which continually improve clinical transfusion practice.

Haemovigilance

To promote patient safety in clinical transfusion practice through a culture of shared learning from both adverse events and exemplary practice.

National policy

To produce national guidance documents and templates that can be adapted by health boards to standardise and harmonise clinical transfusion practice across Scotland and ensure equity of access to best clinical transfusion practice.

Patient blood management

To support and promote evidence-based clinical transfusion practice and align with NHS Scotland Realistic Medicine agenda.

Workforce

Continue to develop the multidisciplinary members of the SNBTS TT workforce to support and enhance the delivery of the SNBTS TT mission.