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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20-2026 | VHF risks in the GDRI (PDF only, 243KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 12-2026 | Mosquito-borne viruses (PDF only, 454KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 13-2026 | Kidney and bladder disease (PDF only, 455KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 17-2026 | Eligibility of blood donors undergoing acupuncture (PDF only, 287KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 18-2026 | Chikungunya vaccination (PDF only, 146KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 19-2026 | Donation prior to hazardous activities (PDF only, 199KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 15-2026 | Alopecia treatments (PDF only, 241KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 16-2026 | Antithrombotic treatments (PDF only, 209KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 14-2026 | Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) (PDF only, 184KB) | 11 August 2026 | |
| 21-2026 | Coronavirus infection (PDF only, 238KB) | 11 August 2026 |
Latest position statements
| Title | Updated |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) (PDF only, 100KB) | 20 April 2026 |