Freedom of Information Request: 0611
Question 1: Does your Trust have a blood transfusion service?
Yes
If yes, please answer the following questions about your blood group analysers :
Question 2: Who is the analyser manufacturer
Question 3: What is the make and model type of analyser?
Question 4: What percentage of false positive results do you see with this analyser for blood grouping and antibody screening? (Only include false positives caused by external contaminants or analyser failures)
Question 5: How many group and screen samples do you test per year?
Question 6: Do you provide electronic issue of red cells?
Question 7: Do you provide automated crossmatching using your analysers?
Question 8: Do you have an agreed blood ordering schedule
The Trust does hold information for questions 2-8. However, we are withholding this information, under exemption 43 (commercial interests) of the Freedom of Information Act: The Information is exempt information if its disclosure under this Act would, or would be likely to, prejudice the commercial interests of any person (including the public authority holding it).
We consider that disclosure of this information would prejudice the Trust’s commercial interests. This is because the Trust is currently undertaking commercial discussions to modify our existing contracts. Disclosure of the above information could have a particularly prejudicial effect on this process.
In arriving at the above decision, we have also considered the public interest test. On this occasion, our analysis is that the public interest in maintaining the exemption is greater than the public interest in disclosing the information. The Trust acknowledges the public interest in promoting transparency about the expenditure of public money and the Trust’s accountability for conduct of its financial affairs. However the Trust considers that the public interest in enabling the Trust to achieve value for money through proper financial processes outweighs the public interest in transparency at this time.
