In October 2022, NHS Blood and Transplant had to issue its first-ever amber warning as national blood stock levels dipped to their lowest on record. This situation gave extra life to plans by the organisation to modernise its data technologies and usage.

NHS Blood and Transplant was rich in data but had access problems, with data sets not joined up and an excess of reports, many of which were not being used. Data needed to be easily accessible by those dealing with blood and transplant issues first-hand. “We wanted to put the right tools in front of our users and give them the knowledge,” says Nick Breeds, Assistant Director of Solution Delivery at NHS Blood and Transplant. “They understand what they need from data, not IT,” he adds.

NHS Blood and Transplant planned to provide its staff with insight into blood donation sessions, donor registrations and its workforce. Legacy technology was not providing the right levels of data access. Issues included information from the blood system being stored in data strings, making date-based access difficult.

Blood has a similar lifespan as milk, and NHS Blood and Transplant use many of the processes used by the dairy industry. So, being able to see blood stock levels by date is vitally important. “Each product has a different shelf life,” Breeds says.

Simplified Data Access

At the centre of this project was a need to simplify the data processes at NHS Blood and Transplant. Data is now more accessible and user-friendly, and no longer confined to complex systems and spreadsheets. Telefónica Tech has helped NHS Blood and Transplant reduce its excess of reports and instead use dashboards with drill-down options.

“It is one screen, and you can then do much more exploration,” Breeds says. This is leading to quick decision-making by frontline NHS staff, who no longer have to make a request to IT for a report. “We have focused on simplification. Instead of 33 reports, there is one dashboard connected to all the dependent information.” Now, frontline experts in blood and transplant processes have data insights available to them.

Improved Analysis

Early benefits being delivered include analysis and improvements to donor sessions. The NHS Blood and Transplant data team has analysed patterns that lead to donor session cancellations, which is disruptive to donors and the entire supply chain. Data has revealed regional differences, the impact of weather or events such as a conference close to a donation venue. This information will better inform NHS Blood and Transplant and how it schedules its vital donation sessions. Breeds adds that data on incidents, such as a donor being bruised, could also be used to support staff training requirements.

The early successes of this project have resulted in a nomination for the UK Government’s Project Delivery awards. This project has delivered on all the criteria the awards look for, including lower costs, better use of resources and faster decision-making.

Understanding Donors and Recipients

NHS Blood and Transplant will also gain improved insight into its blood, plasma and tissue stock types and then do forecasting. This, in turn, will lead to an ability to target donors who can help with less common blood types and those from ethnic minorities. In the near future, NHS Blood and Transplant will also be able to understand how the blood is used by NHS hospitals across England.

Breeds says: “We are en route to improve all areas of a multifaceted organisation. We are now able to put information in front of as many people as possible, which will really improve forecasting.”

“Our mission is to save and improve lives, and this project was designed to better understand our donors and our recipients.”