Patient blood management in NHSBT

Patient Blood Management (PBM) is an evidence-based approach to improve patient outcomes by promoting best practice in blood transfusion and blood conservation strategies.

This is a collaborative initiative that was launched in England in 2012 between the National Blood Transfusion Committee and NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). It follows in the wake of several initiatives over the past 20 years to support the safe and appropriate use of blood. In 2014, the National Blood Transfusion Committee produced national recommendations for the implementation of PBM in hospitals (National Blood Transfusion Committee, 2014). Recommendations on defining a clinical and laboratory blood transfusion strategy for England over the next 5 years are also expected this year.

Collaboration with key NHS organisations, including NHS England and Improvement and Health Education England aligns PBM activity with the wider NHS strategy and the aims of the NHS Long Term Plan (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2019a). PBM also fully supports the principles of the NHS Patient Safety Strategy (NHS England and NHS Improvement, 2019b), promoting a safer culture and systems for the benefit of patients.