Cell Salvage - FOI Response Register

1. Could you provide the information to show a list of which hospitals within your trust have the relevant equipment to treat patients who refuse blood and blood components (such as Jehovah’s Witnesses) in an emergency situation?

To give you an example, should a Jehovah’s Witness be involved in an accident and they were bleeding out, which hospital(s) in your trust would have the facilities available to treat them in accordance with their beliefs regarding no blood transfusions? This would be hospitals with a cell salvage machine at the very least on site, for example.

NHS Shetland only has one hospital, the Gilbert Bain, which does not offer cell salvage.

In our ‘Caring for Patients who Abstain from Blood and Blood Products Procedure’ (including Jehovah’s Witnesses) it states that

*While cell salvage is not available in Shetland, the MDT should explore the possibility of transfer of elective patients to NHS Grampian for this therapy, where: the use of cell salvage is accepted by the patient, the clinical team assess that the benefits of this therapy outweigh the risk, and clinicians in NHS Grampian are able to provide clinical care for the patient.