National Transfusion Record

The National Transfusion Record (NTR) main form is the standard form to be used for the majority of blood component transfusions.

The NTR short form is the form that is available for use ONLY in the following circumstances:

• Your patient having a major haemorrhage and is unable to consent
• You have run out of space to authorise further components during the same patient episode on the NTR main form
• Your patient is on a long-term regular transfusion programme. Use the NTR main form for the initial transfusion episode. The NTR short form can then be used for subsequent transfusions. Consent should be formally renewed if the patient raises any concerns or expresses a wish to review consent, or if new information has become available, for example about the risks of transfusion or any other treatment options. When consent is formally renewed, please start a new NTR main form.

The NTR main form can be found here.

The NTR short form can be found here.

How I order?

The NTR can be ordered via your local Health Board process.

Consent guidance and resources

The pre-transfusion discussion, reason for the transfusion and outcome of each transfusion episode must be documented in the patient’s clinical record.

To access the Guidelines from the expert advisory committee on the Safety of Blood, Tissues and Organs (SaBTO), this can be accessed here.

To access the Consent for Blood Transfusion for Joint UK Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services Professional Advisory Committee guidance, which provides information for patients and healthcare practitioners, this can be accessed here.

To access the Patient information leaflets including ‘Receiving a blood transfusion’ and other transfusion information leaflets, this can be accessed here.

Transfusion Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) guidance and resources

To access the Serious Hazards Of Transfusion (SHOT) TACO definition and TACO risk reduction measures (detailed in), this can be accessed here.

To access the TACO risk assessment tool, this can be accessed here.

The Single Unit Guidance can be accessed here.

Authorisation guidance and resources

Prior to authorising each component, consider:

• Do you need to review or renew consent?
• Has the patient’s TACO risk changed?
• Is the blood component still indicated (consider patient condition)?

To access the NHS, MHRA and UKCA marked blood transfusion Red Cell Dosage Calculator Software App. Please note there is a cost associated to Health Boards that wish to use the Red Cell Calculator. RCC dosage guidance (adults and paediatric) can be found here.

To access the NICE guidline NG 24 ‘Blood Transfusion’ (2015), this can be accessed here. See section 1.2 for guidance on single unit transfusion approach for non-bleeding patients.

Special Requirements

General guidance regarding special requirements in transfusion can be found here. Please refer to your Board’s transfusion policy.

Administration guidance and resources

To access SHOT pre-administration blood component checking process guidance, this can be accessed here.

Reaction management guidance and resources

To access the British Society for Haematology (BSH) guidance (2023) for investigation and management, this can be accessed here.

Feedback

If you would like to provide feedback on the revised (version 2) of the National Transfusion Record, you can access the survey here