Supplementary learning

Blood Centre Tour

Our Blood Centre Tour is now provided online. Previously delivered on site, the tour is now available as a video.

The video has a lift menu so you can move around the floors visiting each department, following the journey of a donation from when it arrives at a centre, as it progresses through testing and processing, and is finally distributed to hospitals.

Take the tour

The tour provides an explanation of the purpose of blood collection and processing, testing and distribution of blood and blood products, as well as an overview of selected areas of the blood centre, to visibly illustrate the working practices of different laboratories and departments.

You'll learn:

• How NHSBT sustains the blood supply chain
• The methods used during blood donation, component preparation, testing and distribution of donated blood
• The relationship between ‘patient facing’ and ‘donor facing’ departments and how they support NHSBT activities

If you still want to have a site tour after watching the video, please complete this form. 

Bloody History of Transfusion

This animated timeline of a history of transfusion takes you through the key points in history from 200 BE to 2005 when NHSBT was formed. 

Explore by clicking on a year on the timeline to understand why that year is significant in the history of blood transfusion. 

You'll learn:

• What Roman gladiators used blood for
• When the first blood transfusion occurred
• When the ABO blood groups were discovered
• How it was found possible to store blood
• When the transfusion service was established

The Strange Case of Penny Allison

This training video illustrates how errors in transfusion may occur and the range of staff involved in the transfusion process, with Hugh Laurie and Imelda Staunton.