Auntie-D

I try to scare them a bit...

Isn't everyone overthinking this? Weak reverse groups are not uncommon and it's a lot of effort to go to for a naturally occuring and totally normal phenomenon. Is the patient aged, immunosuppressed or on chemo?

The siemens stainer is dreadful! Keep with your haematek - they're great

We have Seimens Advia 2120i and I hate them - they are high on maintenance and really high on downtime!

Ah... Ortho in the UK uses different ratios.

Don't griffols use a totally different cell:plasma ratio to Ortho though? I thought Ortho were 50ul:40ul and griffols were 50ul:25ul

It doesn't happen in the UK - there is a minimum Hb to allow donation. What's the point in issuing short packs to patients either - I'd much rather give a 320ml fat pack than a 220ml one on a patient who is borderline iron deficient (I've not seen a pack in the UK yet with less than 220ml in). Iron deficient donors mean that patients are having increased number of donor exposures due to being 'short changed' in their transfusions.

I missed steak and BJ day yesterday so I've promised the other half beef wellington tonight

Ooo as in which staff member could kill another?

Like the bathwater?

And what if they are partial and should actually be classed as rh neg?

I daren't put myself on it, out myself and get in trouble at work...

I do college talks and do tile groups and explain the test and results. I then test myself (they seem to like seeing a grownup bleed with a fingerprick) and get them to guess what group I am.

We're bad and still use thymol for our waterbaths

There is good documentation on the UK regulatory site. I don't know whether this would be transferrable? It contains transfer documentation as well as guidelines. Standard transfer https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0ahUKEwivzvagtrHLAhWEORQKHTmNAtkQFggcMAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.transfusionguidelines.org%2Fdocument-library%2Fdocuments%2Frtc-ne_p_transfer_blood_components_between_hosps%2Fdownload-file%2Frtc-ne_P_transfer_blood_components_between_hosps.pdf&usg=AFQjCNHHenQ0oTqIsd0espcwE9GkXtVb2g&bvm=bv.116274245,d.bGs Emergency transfer http://www.transfusionguidelines.org.uk/document-library/documents/nbtc_tlm_transfer_of_blood/download-file/nbtc_tlm_transfer_of_blood.pdf

I can't speak for David but the way we do it is on completion of training and proof of competency the person is given a PIN. This is required to be used - we input this on our system and it notifies us if the person is compliant for that particular task, be that sample collection, blood collection or blood administration.

Bought shares immediately on announcement of the tech and just sold them prior to it all blowing up and made myself a tidy £2000

Are you saying Kansas is like another country? Planet? Dimension?

I must try and get myself on one of the ones you are doing - I always seem to end up with the coag scraps that noone else wants to go on

Yeah you get to go to all the good talks - I get SOA, you get USA

Anyone going? Want to join me on the hangover table on the second day?

When I played for a bit at being boss I gave them 3 chances - first was a reprint of the paperwork to fill in, the second was a letter that went to the charge nurse, 3rd went to ward manager and then a letter went to the chief exec - it was fab having the chief exec on board as he would give them a rocket. We went 3 years with 100% compliance!

Dumbo

What Malcolm said! The wouldn't get away with it if it was Morphine... I've PM'd you ours anyway though.

Heather - don't panic! You will have bright minds in your own centres - it's just a case of identifying them. I don't envy your job - your biggest challenge will be stamping out ingrained habits that are terrible practice. Every lab has that one tech who just does it their own way despite the SOPs. They're easy enough to identify as they are the one that noone wants to take over from, and if they have to they will start again rather than taking over and continuing