Guidelines for the UK Blood and Tissue Services
View the guidelines
The following guidelines are for healthcare professionals working in the UK Blood and Tissue Services.
Geographical Disease Risk Index
For the assessment of travel-related risks
Whole blood and components
For red cells, platelets, plasma or granulocytes
Tissue (deceased donors)
For donations of tissue from deceased donors
Tissue (live donors)
For donations of tissue from living donors
Bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells
For donations of unrelated allogeneic stem cells
Cord blood
For donations of cord blood stem cells from placentae
Red Book
Guidelines for the Blood Transfusion and Tissue Transplantation Services in the UK
Latest updates
| Change number | Title | Updated | Guidelines affected |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22-2026 | Cold-stored Platelets, in Additive Solution and Plasma, Leucocyte Depleted (PDF only, 203KB) | 19 August 2026 | |
| 23-2026 | Platelets, Apheresis, in Additive Solution and Plasma, Leucocyte Depleted (PDF only, 253KB) | 19 August 2026 | |
| 24-2026 | Updates to consent guidance (chapters 6 and 8) (PDF only, 203KB) | 19 August 2026 | |
| 25-2026 | Microbiology tests for donors and donations (chapter 9) (PDF only, 459KB) | 19 August 2026 |
Latest position statements
| Title | Updated |
|---|---|
| Eligibility of blood donors undergoing acupuncture (PDF only, 139KB) | 11 August 2026 |
| BSQR and EDQM Blood Guide (PDF only, 130KB) | 16 June 2026 |
| Hantavirus (PDF only, 152KB) | 18 May 2026 |
| Collection of plasma for fractionation from donors who are anti-HBc positive (PDF only, 98KB) | 20 April 2026 |
| Estimated residual risk for HBV, HCV and HIV (PDF only, 229KB) | 20 April 2026 |