The Scottish National Blood transfusion service transfusion Team (SNBTS TT) is launching a new National Transfusion Record (NTR) across Scotland.
Launching within GG&C on 20th July 2022, the new NTR features recommendations from SHOT (Serious Hazards of Transfusion) including a Transfusion Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) checklist. TACO is an adverse blood transfusion reaction, and the checklist has been incorporated as a preventive action.
It is benchmarked against UK Blood Safety and Quality Regulations (BSQR) and British Standards in Haematology (BSH) Guidelines and utilises the NHSS ‘Once for Scotland’ approach.
The approved NTR document will be used across Greater Glasgow & Clyde to authorise all patient transfusion episodes ensuring a consistent standard across Scotland. This will replace the current Blood Transfusion Component Authorisation and Record of Care Document.
Benefits and raising awareness
The NTR has additional features improving the safety of blood transfusion.
The annual 2020 Serious Hazard of Transfusion (SHOT) report highlighted TACO and transfusion delays as the most common causes of transfusion-related deaths in the UK and accounted for 76.9% of deaths.
Increased awareness of this complication can help to prevent it developing, with guidance recommending that particular attention should be paid to the appropriateness of transfusion to avoid unnecessary transfusions.
A pre-transfusion TACO checklist is now included in the National Transfusion Record document and should be used to assess patients’ risk of developing TACO.
Further added benefits of the NTR is a process flow map for transfusion reaction management. This allows clear identification of the process providing decision points and aims to improve multi-disciplinary communication.
A signature will now be required to evidence that consent for transfusion has been obtained. Valid consent for transfusion is necessary in all elective situations and a checklist to guide the authoriser can be found on the front page of the National Transfusion Record.
A continuation sheet will now be also used to alleviate the need for duplicated information for patients receiving more than four components per patient episode.
Rolling out the new approach
The GG&C Transfusion Practitioners will steer the helm of the new approach, implementing the new NTR from the 20th of July 2022
Louisa Wood from the Transfusion Team commented: “Alongside the GG&C team of four Transfusion Practitioners’, we look forward to introducing and reaping the benefits of the new National Transfusion Record.
“As Transfusion Practitioners we work in partnership with GG&C to strive towards excellence in transfusion practice and the NTR is integral to allowing us to do this.
Transfusion Practitioners are members of the GG&C Hospital Transfusion Team (HTT) and are responsible for monitoring trends for reporting to the Hospital Transfusion Committee (HTC).
She continues: “We participate in the national development of programmes of education, for example, the Blood Component Collection Assessors Programme (BCCAP).
“Our Transfusion Practitioners’ are part of The Scottish National Blood transfusion service transfusion Team (SNBTS TT), and we will be working together to provide all clinical areas with the relevant information and educational resources needed to ensure a smooth transition over to the new NTR document.
“Keep a look out in the coming weeks for an email as we will shortly be mailing all GG&C staff involved with Blood Transfusion with more helpful information on the NTR and the associated benefits.”
Familiarise yourself with The TACO checklist:
Meet the team: Your Transfusion Practitioners
The TPs who provide support for GG&C consist of (left to right) Tina Watson (IRH/GGH/BWOSCC) April Molloy & Louisa Wood (QUEH/RHC/ACH), Moira Caldwell (GRI)
NTR Presentation GGC
Contact US
If you have any questions about the National Transfusion Record or the TACO checklist contact us:
- Tina Watson Tina.Watson2@nhs.scot
- April Molloy April.Molloy@nhs.scot
- Louisa Wood Louisa.wood@nhs.scot
- Moira Caldwell Moira.Caldwell2@nhs.scot