Transfusion Medicine SAC
Transfusion medicine is concerned with the transfusion of blood and blood components.
Chair: Dr Shruthi Narayan
Committee Members
- Dr Shubha Allard - National Blood Transfusion Committee
- Dr Sylvia Armstrong-Fisher - British Blood Transfusion Service
- Dr Ann Benton - Welsh Blood Service
- Dr Lorna Cain - Trainee Representative (Transfusion Medicine)
- Dr Lise Estcourt - Clinical tutor NHSBT (co-opted)
- Dr Dora Foukaneli - BBTS Representative
- Dr Katie Hands - Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service
- Prof Peter Johnston - Vice President for Professionalism
- Dr Tom Latham - Transfusion Science Examinations representative
- Dr Kathryn Maguire - Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service
- Miss Alison Muir - IBMS Representative
- Dr Shruthi Narayan - Chair of Transfusion Medicine SAC
- Prof David Roberts - Research/Academic Activities
UK Transfusion guidance for sample tube shortages
This is the UK transfusion guidance for safe transfusions during period of blood sample tube shortages. This document has been developed collaboratively by NBTC Emergency Planning Working Group, SHOT and RCPath Transfusion SAC, with input from BSH Transfusion Task Force. This guidance document should be used in line with local arrangements for risk assessment and concessionary release. While the ongoing shortage is expected to be resolved soon, this guidance document is meant to be a blueprint for Trusts/Health Boards to use to manage from a transfusion point of view. Severity of shortages is variable across the UK and measures implemented are likely to vary, these will need to be used in conjunction with current national guidelines, be risk assessed and implemented collaboratively with frontline clinical and laboratory teams. The provision of safe and timely blood components remains a priority.
Percy Oliver Memorial Award
In 1921 Percy Oliver created world’s first voluntary blood donor service. Following his death in 1944, his colleagues created the Oliver Memorial Fund to perpetuate his achievement and administered it for over 50 years. In 2001, the Royal College of Pathologists took over the task of administering the fund through Annual Awards to recognise achievements in transfusion medicine. From 2013 a further element has been added to the award - a bursary to assist trainees to attend national or international seminars or conferences on transfusion medicine.
Percy Oliver Memorial Award - 2023 applications now open
The College’s Transfusion Medicine Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC) is inviting nominations for this year’s Percy Oliver Memorial Award.
The Memorial Award is given to an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the field of blood transfusion. This year’s category is TM Nursing.
Nominations and accompanying citations should be submitted to the SAC for consideration by 5pm Wednesday 31 May 2023 via Louise Mair at the Royal College of Pathologists ([email protected]).
Please use the citation to describe your nominee’s background, achievements, and contributions to the field of blood transfusion, in no more than 750 words; furthermore, please demonstrate the impact that they have made to the field.
Percy Oliver Trainee Travel Bursary - 2023 applications now open
The Percy Oliver Trainee Travel Bursary is being offered for £250 per candidate to cover travel and accommodation costs for trainee clinicians and clinical scientists enrolled in a recognised UK training scheme and working in the field of transfusion medicine, to enable their participation in a national or international blood transfusion meeting.
We are pleased to announce the availability of two awards for attendance at the 2023 Annual SHOT Symposium being held on Tuesday 4 July at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester and two further awards for attendance at the NHSBT R&D conference. The 2022 Annual SHOT Report will be released at the SHOT Symposium and the programme covers key haemovigilance and transfusion safety-related topics with an opportunity to learn from blood donor and transfusion recipients’ experiences and transfusion experts.
Further details and an application form can be downloaded from https://www.rcpath.org/profession/committees/transfusion-medicine.html and the deadline for application is 5pm on Thursday 1 June 2023.
CELEBRATING OUR SPECIALTIES
Our July 2022 Bulletin celebrates the history and achievements of some of our pathology specialties. The article by Yomi Adegbaju on behalf of the College’s Transfusion Medicine Specialty Advisory Committee (SAC), provides an interesting update on how joint National Institute of Health Care Research and Blood and Transplant Research Units will underpin patient benefit.
In our October 2022 Bulletin, Susan Brunskill and Lise Estcourt celebrate 20 years of the Systematic Review Initiative in transfusion medicine. In this article, they highlight the programme’s critical role in reviewing clinical practice, spearheading scientific research and updating transfusion safety standards.
In our April 2023 Bulletin, Rebecca McDonald and Professor Cedric Ghevaert update us on the next steps to achieving in vitro-produced red cells and platelets for transfusion to humans in this article on the RESTORE trials.