The ultimate responsibility for ensuring that every unit of blood and blood components has been collected in accordance with the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations (2005) rests with the ‘responsible person’ for the Blood Establishment. The advocacy and guardianship of high-quality care for donors is the responsibility of the designated clinical lead in attendance at the donation session.
At the time of writing, the clinical lead is usually a nurse registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Services may wish to consider individuals from other professional groups registered with a similar professional register. Examples include, but are not limited to, the General Medical Council (GMC) or the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).
If Services decide to use an individual who is not a registered nurse, they must have a policy detailing which professional groups can perform the clinical lead role at their donor sessions. This policy must describe any practical skills, training and experience required to perform the role. Such a policy must also consider relevant healthcare regulations and legislation for that service; these will vary between different UK countries.
As detailed in BSQR, donor eligibility must be assessed by a registered nurse, doctor or an individual who has successfully completed donor carer training for that service.