Becton Dickinson has alerted us to a shortage of products from their Blood Specimen Collection Portfolio that is impacting across most main blood tube supplies.
Working closely with DHSC, NHS Supply Chain, the MHRA and colleagues from the devolved administrations, given the impact on other parts of the UK, NHS England and NHS Improvement is co-ordinating the NHS’ response in England, on a national basis.
The supply position remains constrained and is forecasted to become even more constrained over the coming weeks. While it is anticipated that the position will improve from the middle of September, overall supply is likely to remain challenging for a significant period.
The tubes impacted by this shortage are:
1. 5mls Yellow top – SST 2 – clotted sample (e.g. U&E, LFTs etc)
2. Purple top – EDTA (e.g. FBC, HbA1c)
This alert contains further information and action for providers.
Please note that no response is required via the CAS website to this alert.