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— LONDON, May 19

LONDON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Unite has condemned the announcement by the NHS Blood & Transplant board to close the Tooting National Blood Service Processing & Testing departments and is calling on the board to reverse its decision. Unite members will be lobbying MPs and Councillors in affected areas.

The Tooting blood service site provides a vital service to the whole of South London and the South East of England and Unite is concerned that patients will suffer, as the provision of specialist products and tests will be slowed down.

The decision to close the Tooting laboratories by 2010 transferring work to Colindale, North London and Filton, a site in Bristol, followed a cost cutting review of the National Blood service.

Peter Storey, Unite regional officer, said: "The Tooting site operates in the most densely populated area of the country, London and the South East, serving the highest number of hospitals when compared with the rest of the UK blood centres. The reviewed strategy proposes to move this vital blood testing service and provision of special, rare blood products to the very edge of North London and as far away as Bristol, hence the quality of service to patients in South London and the South East of England will undoubtedly suffer.

"Anyone familiar with the M25 or travelling through central London will know that you cannot possibly rely on journey times, particularly during rush hour. If the blood service has to call on emergency helicopters then any cost reduction will be cancelled out by the increased transport costs."

Unite members at Tooting are angry that the NHS Blood & Transplant board have decided to cut frontline services and staff, rather than cut down on the many layers of management that exist in the blood service.

If the closure of the Tooting site goes ahead then around 80 to 90 skilled laboratory professionals and assistants will lose their jobs.

"Although we are appalled that technical workers will lose their jobs as a result of these plans and that their expertise will be lost to the nation, our principal concern is for the health of the patients," added Peter Storey.

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