Our blood transfusion laboratory tests patient blood samples to find out which blood group they are and to see what antibodies are present.
The test results are verified by our specialised team of biomedical scientists, and should there be any antibodies present, they can carry out further testing to identify them. Should you need blood in the event of an emergency, or for surgery / maternity services, our biomedical scientists can use the results to select the appropriate unit of blood from our stock which can then be cross-matched with the sample to be sure that it is compatible.
A blood transfusion is in some ways very similar to an organ transplant, compatibility is very important as you can have a severe reaction to in-compatible blood making the transfusion potentially dangerous.
If the situation is extremely urgent, and there is no time for testing we have a supply of emergency O Negative blood which is universally acceptable for all recipients.
