'Safer' claim for blood barcodes

The new system is designed to be safer and more efficient

A new blood bar-coding system has been introduced in north west Wales, which health officials claim will provide tighter safety controls for patients.

North West Wales NHS Trust describe the Blood Audit Release System (BARS) as a "pioneering" technique.

Based at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, the system electronically records and tracks blood from Bangor to Llandudno.

The National Blood Service says 2.1 million blood donations are processed every year in the UK.

The new BARS system electronically stores records for 30 years, in accordance with legal requirements.

It operates from the transfusion laboratory in Ysbyty Gwynedd, but it also used to manage blood supplies at Llandudno General Hospital.

We are now reaping the benefits of improved patient safety, cutting down on paperwork and the need for storage space Dr Karen Mottart, hospital transfusion committee

According to Tina Cave, blood bank manager at the North West Wales NHS Trust, the new system means a "safer, smoother, more efficient process".

"It provides a complete audit trail so that all blood is fully traceable from donor to recipient.

"The system also has a number of in-built safety features, with visual and audible alarms," she added.

It is designed to alert staff if blood was going to be given to the wrong patient, or if the blood had not been properly stored and was no longer suitable for transfusion.

The health trust said it was the only one in the UK to use a remote release system to issue blood for patients at another hospital.

Dr Karen Mottart, chair of the trust's hospital transfusion committee, said: "We are very pleased with the way it has worked since it was implemented and we are now reaping the benefits of improved patient safety, cutting down on paperwork and the need for storage space."