Blood Transfusion
There is a blood transfusion service provided at 7 laboratories across the Barts Health NHS Trust, Homerton Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and Lewisham and Greenwich NHS Trust. The aspired ‘hub and spoke’ operating model is centred at The Royal London Hospital (RLH); a busy major trauma centre which hosts the London Air Ambulance and connects to essential service laboratories supporting various clinical specialities at our partnered hospital sites.
The Blood transfusion service provides blood components to patients requiring transfusion support for a variety of conditions including sickle cell disease and thalassemia as well as surgical support for patients who have been involved in major traumas. The blood transfusion laboratories provide a service 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with Blood Transfusion consultant staff available to provide clinical support as required.
Biomedical scientists in the department undertake a wide range of tests including:
- Blood group and antibody screen (adult and neonates)
- Antibody identification
- Direct antiglobulin test
- Kleihauer test
- Antibody titration for antenatal patients
- Cross match
- Blood products component support
Please see the user handbooks provided for more information on these services or refer to our Test A-Z.
Please visit UKAS.com for information on the accredited tests or refer to the schedules of accreditation provided below for UKAS number 8285.
We now have a dedicated newsletter called Blood Bank Bulletin for your interest. Visit this page monthly to see the most updated version.
Traceability
Remember to return all completed compatibility tags or emergency blood paperwork to the lab within 24 hours of transfusion - please don’t discard them!
This also applies to Covid-19 patients.
If you have any questions, please contact the team [pptx] 2MB
Special collection for Cryoglobulins test for Lewisham and Greenwhich Trust sites only
If the patient requires a Cold-Agglutinin test, please contact the Blood Transfusion laboratory 24 hours in advance, so that a warm flask and pre-warmed blood collection tubes can be arranged for phlebotomy collection. The flask and warmed blood collection tubes should be returned to the Blood Transfusion laboratory within 20 minutes post phlebotomy collection. This sample collection process is extremely important, if the procedure is not followed samples may be rejected or results may be inaccurate.