In most of the world, there is an increasing shortage of blood available for transfusion. Additionally, its quality often compares poorly with the standards set by the National Blood Services in the UK and USA. As these problems have continued to increase during the year 2000, growing pressure has been placed on the Foundation's services.

In response to these increasing concerns, the Trustees continued to develop the quality, scope and strength of the Foundation's services in 2000 by:

In view of the shortage of blood, the Trustees are most appreciative of the support they have continued to receive from a number of different National Blood Authorities. This on-going support clearly demonstrates their belief in the value of the Foundation's services.

The Trustees have become increasingly aware that few doctors possess any depth of specialist transfusion knowledge. As a result, the Trustees have agreed that the Clinical Director and the Deputy Clinical Director may give the treating doctor advice on transfusion problems. This additional service is provided entirely free of charge, for the benefit of every individual or Corporate Member in need.

In many cases of trauma, the first requirement is to restore blood volume. In the short-term this can be achieved using resuscitation fluids. However, in many countries, adequate sterile supplies of even these simple fluids and the necessary transfusion equipment are not available. Therefore, the Trustees during 2000 have increased the number of RSPs holding these supplies, from 88 to 118 different locations, across 71 countries.

This increase has been primarily achieved through the free provision of UCPs to BCF Corporate Members. The Member places the UCPs in those areas where they have staff at greatest risk. This approach ensures that should an emergency occur, the Member has reliable supplies on-site.

The Quality Assurance Manager presented the Foundation's third Internal Audit Report to the Management Committee during the year. This provides the Trustees with an overview of each aspect of the Charity's work and enables them to ensure previous recommendations have been implemented and to measure their effectiveness in achieving optimal standards of quality.

In 1999 a laboratory grouping a Member's blood made an error. As the Foundation has no active control over the quality of this procedure, the Trustees decided the Foundation should no longer offer this service. As a result, this service was withdrawn during the year and the initial Registration fee reduced accordingly.

The Trustees continued to place considerable emphasis on training during the year. The Clinical Director held several training sessions for the Foundation's Alarm Centre staff and instigated a system of test calls, to assess the staff's response. Courier training has covered all aspects from receiving a warning call, through the care of the blood during transit, its issue to the correct patient, to the return of the empty blood bags to the blood bank for quality assurance purposes.

The Quality Assurance Manager held a number of training sessions with blood banking staff in different parts of the world, to ensure each stage of the receipt, storage, issue and donation of unused blood is carried out in full conformity with the Foundation's Standard Operational Procedures. He continued to revise, with the staff of Regional Supply Points and Corporate Regional Supply Points (CRSPs), the procedures for the receipt, issue and re-ordering of supplies as they are used, to ensure every RSP and CRSP always has adequate stocks in an emergency.

The persistent trend of acquisitions and mergers, especially the instance where two BCF Corporate members merge their operations, continued to affect the volume of Corporate membership and, as a consequence, has caused a reduction in this aspect of the Charity's income. Despite these setbacks, additional corporations joined the Foundation and, at year-end, the Trustees are pleased to note the Foundation's gross income had increased by 5.2% over 1999. However, expenditure rose by 5.9% due to increases in the levels of advertising, sales and promotion activities, stationary and printing costs.

With the tenth anniversary of the Foundation's registration as a Charity due in 2001, the Trustees decided to change the appearance of the BCF logo to one which emphasised the fundamental nature of blood to all mankind. At the same time, a computer image of the logo was designed to be projected onto a screen and a solid model of the logo constructed, with a revolving centre. Investment in these innovations was made in anticipation of providing an attractive stand at exhibitions.

The creation of the new BCF logo provided the impetus for re-issuing the small brochure which sets out the aims and objectives of the Foundation and explains its various membership programmes. At the same time, new letterheads were designed and other documentation issued, all bearing the new logo.

During the year, the Foundation rented a stand at the West Africa Committee Exhibition in the Africa Centre, Covent Garden and also at the Employee Benefits Exhibition in the Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster. These occasions provided the Foundation with its first experience of direct public access. Although it is too early to judge the economic value of participating in these two events, the public exposure was invaluable and many useful lessons were learnt from these experiences.

The Foundation's website www.bloodcare.org.uk, set up in 1999, was developed further during the year to carry valuable background information about the Charity and its activities. One eventual objective is to enable people to take out membership of the Blood Care Programme directly from the web.

Every organisation, especially a charitable one, relies very heavily on the enthusiasm and goodwill of its Trustees and on all members of its staff. BCF is no exception and I should like to pay tribute to the immense amount of advice, help and support generously and freely given to the Charity this past year. We all consider it a privilege to have been able to provide this service throughout the world in the year 2000 and look forward to being instrumental in saving additional lives in 2001.

Michael G. Bruce
Chairman of the Trustees