Major trust ‘weeks away’ from running short of blood collection tubes

According to reports, Barts Health Trust and most other providers in the north east London health system may run out of blood tube collection products by the end of August. Though, according to notes seen by HSJ, a “mitigation plan with demand management in place this may extend into September”.

After warning colleagues in north east London that the shortage of blood collection tubes made by Becton Dickinson affects “all NEL areas” except acute trust Barking, Havering and Redbridge University Hospitals Trust, Diane Jones, chief nurse of the NEL integrated care system has said “NHSE are looking at mitigations, but nothing confirmed as yet, and [they] may take a few weeks to come on stream. The mitigation may get us up to 50 per cent of usual supply in the short term.” 

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Source: HSJ, 13 August 2021