Chief Executive & Chairman's Introduction

Welcome to NHS Blood and Transplant's Review of 2010/11. We hope it gives you an insight into the ways we are saving and improving patients' lives.

We are proud of the many successes we achieved in 2010/11 due mainly to the professionalism and expertise of our staff. We are even more grateful to the thousands of ordinary people who do something extraordinary and make a life-saving and entirely altruistic donation to help someone else often a complete stranger. Without them, we could not continue towards our goal of delivering a world-class service to the NHS.

In 2010/11 we progressed well against our key objectives, which were to:

• Provide an efficient, sustainable and dependable supply of blood components that meet all safety, quality, compliance and service standards
  
  
• Provide a range of specialist services and advice to hospitals
  
  
• Maximise the number of organ donors, donated organs and registered supporters of organ donation, thereby enabling an increase in the number of life-saving transplants
  
  
• Ensure NHS Blood and Transplant is an effective, responsive organisation, focused on the changing needs of donors, hospitals and other customers.

In July 2010 the new Coalition Government published the outcome of the Arm's-Length Bodies review confirming our continued status as a Special Health Authority and acknowledging our unique contribution to the NHS.

At the same time, the review said there may be opportunities for more cost effective operations and commercial arrangements - this is the subject of a separate review due for completion in autumn 2011.

The Arm's-Length Bodies review also announced the transfer of the Bio Products Laboratory (BPL) from NHSBT to new management arrangements which was completed in January 2011. This was the right move for BPL staff, customers and the Department of Health as it allows Bio Products Laboratory Ltd to take advantage of a broader range of growth and development opportunities.

Looking ahead to 2011/12, the Government's plans to reform the NHS will see power and funding devolved from Whitehall to patients and professionals. We are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities this presents for improving our services to the front line of care to patients.

Our Strategic Plan for 2011/14 builds on the improvements of recent years but also contains a commitment to deliver challenging new initiatives. Safety and sufficiency will remain the bedrock of all that we do. In addition, a continued focus on efficiency and both donor and customer satisfaction will help us achieve our vision to be the best organisation of our type in the world and ensure more patients' lives are saved.

Click here to view Our Achievements.