Quality Statement

To ensure a supply of appropriately screened blood, obtained from unremunerated volunteer donors, is available to members whenever and wherever it is required. This service will be supplemented by providing a reliable supply of sterile transfusion fluids and equipment.

Quality Policy

1.0 General Policy

1.1 It is the policy of The Blood Care Foundation (BCF) to provide and deliver, in an emergency, appropriately screened blood obtained from unremunerated volunteer donors, sterile transfusion fluids and equipment and rabies vaccine and/or immunoglobulin to its members where these are not readily available.

1.2 All products and services provided are to meet the relevant internationally agreed standards. Blood is to meet the relevant national standards of the country from which it is sourced. A list of those countries from which blood is currently sourced is at Appendix 1.

1.3 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) are written to ensure that all the relevant safety standards are met. All members of staff are obliged, within the terms of their employment, to adhere to these SOPs. Such compliance is regularly monitored by a full programme of internal audit.

1.4 It is the policy of BCF to obtain recognition under BS 5750, EN 29,000 and ISO 9000.

2.0 The Representation of Quality to the Management

2.1 It is the duty of the Clinical Director (CD) to ensure that the BCF Quality Policy is implemented throughout the organisation. He is responsible to, and reports directly to, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Foundation.

2.2 The Board of Trustees are to review the Quality Policy (QP), Quality Systems (QSs) and the Quality Report prepared by the Management Review Team (MRT) annually. Their findings and alterations to the QP and or QSs are to be recorded in the minutes of the Annual General Meeting. The CD is to be present for these items.

3.0 Quality Training

3.1 It is the duty of the CD to arrange training programmes for all the staff of BCF so that the QP is translated into practice at the working level. All staff are to be taught the importance of Total Quality Management and their individual role within the overall concept.

4.0 Quality Audits

4.1 The CD is to carry out irregular Internal Audits to confirm that the procedures, adopted by the staff of BCF, conform to policies and SOPs. He is to produce a schedule to monitor all aspects of the work of BCF at least once a year.

4.2 The results of each individual audit are to be recorded in a BCF Audit Report, which is to include the suggested corrective action. These reports are to be submitted to the CEO within one month of completion. On receipt of the report, the CEO is to add his comments and to state the action that is to be taken.

4.3 The CEO is to prepare, or cause to be prepared, an annual Quality Report for the MRT. When meeting, the MRT are to have access to all the individual BCF Audit Reports. The MRT are to report their findings and recommendations directly to the Board of Trustees.

Appendix 1 to The Blood Care Foundation Quality Policy

Countries from which blood is currently sourced:

Holland

United States of America

Switzerland

United Kingdom

Countries where BCF maintains its own blood banks:

Hong Kong