Text communication to donors

Response to this request is long overdue. By law, under all circumstances, NHS Blood and Transplant should have responded by now (details). You can complain by requesting an internal review.

Dear NHS Blood and Transplant,
some donors received the following text from your services in december 2021
"your blood type is vital for our winter stock build. we've space for donors with no appointment at [insert name of given donor centre] donor centre this week, so do come if you can"
could you clarify the following:

1) what did your services mean by this message?
2) how did you expect donors to understand this message?
3) what actions did you intend for the donor to take when they received this message?

4) how many donors received this message from 14/12/2021 to 21/12/2021? and how many donor centers were concerned by this message at the same time?
5) how many donors received similar messages (broken down by donor centre and date of text message sent) between 01/06/2021 and 31/12/2021?
6) how were the donors to whom you sent this text selected?
were any of the following criteria used to select which donor to send this message to: blood type, age, sex, date of latest donation, donor's address, donor's place of last donation, donor registered favorite place of donation, other (please specify)

7) who/what department within NHSBT decided to send these messages? who/which entity approved the wording?
8) who/what team effectively sent those text?
9) was any equality impact assessment done to compare how this text would be understood and impact the average donor Vs donors with mobility issues, learning disability, neurogivergent donors, donors whose first language is not english, new donors, female donors? please provide a copy of any assessment (official or not) done.

10) how many donors mentioned receiving this text in december 2021 to your services (when coming to donate, when booking an appointment, in feedback/concerns/complaints)?
11) what communication if any was sent to blood donor centre staff regarding the texts sent to donors?
12) how did you expect your staff to react when a donor showed up without an appointment at a given donor centre as per text instruction?

Yours faithfully,
Ms Vanpeene

Freedom of Information Requests, NHS Blood and Transplant

Our ref: CAS-248545-C4F4S3

Acknowledgement: Freedom of Information Request

Dear Ms Vanpeene,

Thank you for your request for information dated 19th September 2022.

I acknowledge your request to access information from NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and am presently dealing with your request under the terms of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We aim to reply within 20 working days.

If you have any queries about this letter, please contact us at [email address]. Please remember to quote the reference number above in any future communications.

Yours sincerely,

Freedom of Information
Digital, Data and Technology Services
NHS Blood and Transplant

[email address]
Visit nhsbt.nhs.uk
Twitter @NHSBT

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Freedom of Information Requests, NHS Blood and Transplant

1 Attachment

Dear Ms Vanpeene,

Please find attached your FOI response.

Freedom of Information
Digital, Data and Technology Services
NHS Blood and Transplant

[email address]
Visit nhsbt.nhs.uk
Twitter @NHSBT

show quoted sections

Dear Freedom of Information Requests,
thank you for providing some of the information requested however please answer the questions that have been eluded and correct the mistake on some of your answers.

4) you claim that no messages were sent between 14/12/2021 and 21/12/2021. i have evidence that messages were indeed sent to some donors at this date. please correct your answer and provide the number of donors and relevant donation center concerned by these.

5) see above. in addition, you said in your answer to question 1 that this message or similar from 2021 was sent in prevision of the winter stock build: claiming that no message was sent between 01/06/2021 and 31/12/2021 is contradictory.

6)what is meant exactly by "donors who had been invited to attend a donor centre"? in normal operation donors are not "invited to donate" they chose to donate and contact NHSBT to book an appointment (or in the case of walk in turn up to a session).
wich specific blood groups where required at the time?
wich specific donor centres were able to accept donors without an appointment at the time of the message?

9) stating that using SMS is a usual means of contact for the NHSBT does not answer the question. this question is about the impact of the WORDING used in such SMS on various groups of donors. please answer in relation to this aspect of the question (how does unclear wording impact different donors and what is being done to check that the wording is clear for all before it is being sent to donors)

11) please provide the list of donor centers that were included in this activity as well as what percentage of staff in each donor center would have received the communication from BD OL/local management.
were all donor facing staff at the centers directly communicated to and who was supposed to pass on this information to them?

12) i have evidence of multiple staff at a donor center not being aware of the SMS being sent and not being aware of the walk in scheme in operation during the stated week. staff claimed that SMS were being sent by a third party outside of NHSBT activities.
please correct your answer and confirm that you expected staff to accept donor who showed up during the week stipulated in the SMS without a pre-booked appointment (without asking donors to book an appointment on the spot) and proceed to the rest of the donation process as usual.

regarding several questions: could you clarify what you count as "within the week of the message sent"?
is the seven 7 from the date of the message? or only remaining of the week until the next saturday/sunday/monday?
for example if the message is sent a thursday does this mean that donors only have 4 days to donate?

Yours sincerely,

Ms Vanpeene

Freedom of Information Requests, NHS Blood and Transplant

1 Attachment

Dear Ms. Vanpeene,

 

Please find my review response attached.

 

Kind Regards,

 

Josie

 

 

Josie Convery

Records Manager

Information Governance Team

Digital, Data and Technology Services

NHS Blood and Transplant

 

[mobile number]

Visit nhsbt.nhs.uk

Twitter @NHSBT

 

Monday is my non-working day

 

 

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Dear Freedom of Information Requests,
apologies for the delay in sending the evidence that i hold showing some of your responses to be erroneous. as attachements cannot be sent online i have had to arrange postal delivery wich has taken longer than anticipated. please check your initial and latest answers against the printed evidence once you receive it.

Yours sincerely,

Ms Vanpeene