The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) has issued guidance for all NHS organisations across England and Wales aimed at reducing delays in the provision of blood and blood components to patients in an emergency situation.
The Rapid Response Report (RRR) from the NPSA has been produced following reports of 11 deaths and 83 incidents, between October 2006 and September 2010, where the patient suffered harm as a result of delays in the provision of blood. The RRR asks NHS organisations to ensure that:
• Local protocols detail the roles and actions of clinical teams, laboratory staff and support services to enable timely access to the blood / blood components.
• Blood transfusion laboratory staff are informed of patients with a massive haemorrhage at the earliest opportunity so they can activate the emergency procedures that are necessary to deal with the provision of blood in the event of an emergency situation. It is recommended that a trigger phrase is used to activate these procedures.
• Clinical teams dealing with patients with a massive haemorrhage nominate a member of the team to act in a liaison role with the laboratory staff and support services to avoid the potential for miscommunication and repeated calls to the laboratory by different people.
• All incidents where there are delays or problems in the provision of blood in an emergency are reported and investigated locally, and reported to the NPSA and the Serious Hazards of Transfusion (SHOT) scheme.
Michael Surkitt-Parr, clinical reviewer for patient safety, said: “The NPSA has worked closely with experts to identify clear actions to support effective communication between the relevant staff and teams involved in treating a patient suffering a major haemorrhage.”
For a copy of the latest RRR, visit www.nrls.npsa.nhs.uk
