Regarding Polly Toynbee’s column (These brutal cuts to the NHS will haunt the Conservatives, 25 October), we’d like to provide some clarity and reassurance around plasma and blood donation.
There are different plasma supply chains and products.
NHS Blood and Transplant is an NHS special health authority. NHSBT provides blood plasma components, which are derived from blood donations and transfused into patients in the same way as red blood cells and platelets.
We do not use paid donors and our plasma does not come from US donors.
Commercially manufactured fractionated plasma medicines (which are referred to in the article) may use plasma from American donors and may originate from paid donors.
Betsy Bassis
Chief executive, NHS Blood and Transplant
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
• Read more Guardian letters – click here to visit gu.com/letters
• Do you have a photo you’d like to share with Guardian readers? Click here to upload it and we’ll publish the best submissions in the letters spread of our print edition
