NHS deadline as patients urged to act quickly by Monday

NHS deadline as patients urged to act quickly by Monday Patients are being urged not to miss the deadline The NHS has urged patients to act quickly and avoid an upcoming deadline if they want to be heard. Blood donors, transplant patients and donor families have just days left to influence how NHS services are run before a key consultation closes. NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) is urging people to complete an online survey before Monday, August 10, as it draws up a new policy on how it listens to patients, donors and their families. The organisation says the findings will help shape future services and will be presented directly to the NHSBT board before being published. Anyone who has received treatment through NHS Blood and Transplant, donated blood, organs, tissues or stem cells, or is part of a donor family, can take part. The surveys take around five to 10 minutes to complete and people do not need to have previously been involved in NHS consultations. Frances O'Callaghan, Chief Executive of NHS Blood and Transplant, said: "I have commissioned this work because NHSBT wants to improve how we listen, involve, and work with patients and their families." She acknowledged there was room for improvement, adding: "Across NHSBT, there are many good examples of colleagues who are working hard to listen to patients and donors, but we have not always done this as well or as consistently as we should. People have not always been able to see how their views have shaped decisions or led to change." She said there was "a commitment from the very top of this organisation to make this better", with patients, donors and families helping to develop recommendations for a new engagement policy. Urging people not to miss the deadline, Ms O'Callaghan said: "The survey is an important part of this work. It will help us understand what is working, what needs to change, and what would make the biggest difference to the people and communities we serve." She added: "Please complete the survey and tell us what you think. Your voice matters. If you do not tell us, we may not know or fully understand what needs to change." The NHSBT chief executive also promised the results would be transparent, saying: "The findings will go directly to the NHSBT board, and they will be made public, so you can see what we heard, what we are proposing, and how your voice has influenced our work." NHS Blood and Transplant says stronger engagement with patients and donors will help build trust in its services, improve the experience of patients, donors and their families, and ensure decisions are informed by people's lived experiences. The consultation is being overseen by two independent external co-chairs working alongside patients, donors, donor families and NHSBT staff from across the organisation. The surveys close on Monday, August 10. More information here.