Information and resources for hospital and lab staff
If you're involved in matching blood for patients with inherited anaemias, find out more information about the blood group genotyping programme what it and means for you.
How this programme will work
Blood group genotyping will be available from January 22, 2024, for all people in England living with sickle cell disorder, thalassemia, and with transfusion dependent rare inherited anaemias.
NHS England is working in partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT). More patients can tested, faster, thanks to a new array developed by the Blood transfusion Genomics Consortium (BGC). The samples will be tested at NHSBT's Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory in Bristol.
NHS England is funding the test therefore it will be free of charge for samples received by NHSBT before 31 March 2026.. Following that, we expect NHSBT will charge hospitals. We will also test for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) type (commonly known as the tissue or bone marrow type), so people who are eligible for a stem cell transplant will have taken the first step already.
The test is also available to eligible patients living in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Channel Islands.
Contact us
If you have any questions about the programme, please contact transfusion@nhsbt.nhs.uk.