National Blood Service staff lobby board over lab closures

31 March 2011

Unite members working for the National Blood Service will warn the NHS Blood and Transplant board that the impact of closing blood testing labs in Sheffield and Newcastle, supposedly to save money, has not been properly thought through.

Staff from Sheffield will lobby the board of the NHSBT today (31 March 2011, 9am) at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists where the board holds its monthly board meeting. The staff will present an alternative to the NHSBT decision which includes keeping the Sheffield site open.

The work is being transferred to Manchester but staff fear the increased workload will put massive pressure on staff. Unite members at Manchester are already under pressure with existing work loads and are not convinced enough resources will be made available to allow the work to be done safely and efficiently.

The staff at the Sheffield and Manchester centres are also very apprehensive about the lack of contingency, especially if one of the three remaining testing sites (in Manchester, Filton and Colindale) is unable to function.

The union believes the case for the transfer of work has not been properly thought through and the final recommendations on restructuring were still being written at the time the announcement to close Sheffield and Newcastle was made.

Unite's Owen Granfield said: "National Blood Service staff will meet with the board tomorrow morning to put forward a genuine alternative to the current plans to close the Sheffield and Newcastle labs. The staff are very apprehensive about the impact these decisions will have on the blood service. Unite members at Manchester are already under pressure with existing work loads and are not convinced enough resources will be made available to allow the work to be done safely and efficiently. We hope the board will listen carefully to the staffs' carefully considered proposals."

Notes:

The NHSBT employs 6,000 staff across England and North Wales to take, test and process blood donations for use by NHS hospitals

The NHSBT currently tests and processes blood donations on five sites - Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester, Bristol and North London.

As part of government cost-cutting in the NHS the National Blood Service has had its budget frozen, and consequently is looking to cost-cutting measures which include closure of donation testing in Sheffield and Newcastle with the loss of 40 scientific and technical posts.

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