National Blood Service

Back to all Motions

Conference
2011 Health Care Service Group Conference
Date
21 March 2011
Decision
Carried

This conference is appalled at the news leaked on 17 February that the

Department of Health is considering the privatisation of parts of the national blood and transplant service. If implemented, it would surely be the first step in the privatisation of the whole service.

The blood and transplant service relies upon the millions of UK citizens who freely – without payment – give their blood or donate their organs in order to save the lives of others. ‘Given freely’ is the ethical principle upon which the entire blood and organ donation service is built. It is unique and a principle which has sustained the lifeblood of the service.

To allow private companies into this service and for them to make profits out of the freely made donations of ordinary people is utterly wrong and immoral.

Conference fully supports the efforts of our members in the NHSBT branches in campaigning against this appalling attack on a service which is the lifeblood of our beloved NHS.

We call upon the Service Group Executive to:-

i) Ensure that the Union puts this issue at the forefront of its campaign to defend the NHS as it exposes the shameless efforts of the ConDem

government to destroy the NHS.

ii) Work with the NHSBT branches to develop campaign materials, which raise public awareness about the implications of such a decision on the future of this service.