About NAC

Terms of Reference

1.0 Mandate

1.1 The NAC shall provide medical and technical advice on the utilization management of blood and blood products to the provincial and territorial (PT) Ministries of Health and Canadian Blood Services (CBS). To this end, the NAC shall:

• Provide advice on technical issues of blood supply, including matters directly affecting the practice of transfusion medicine in hospitals;
• Share information about blood and blood product utilization and utilization management efforts, and play a supportive role in the development of guidelines for product use;
• Provide professional leadership in assisting the PT Ministries of Health in identifying (through the initiation of pharmacoeconomic studies and other methods), designing and implementing cost -effective blood utilization management initiatives for the optimization of patient care within their own jurisdictions; and
• Assist Canadian Blood Services in its product selection process

1.2 The NAC shall report to the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee.

2.0 Membership

2.1 The PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee and CBS shall appoint representatives to the NAC as follows:

• Each PT may appoint two representatives from the following categories:
• a health care professional with experience in transfusion medicine or expertise in blood utilization management
• Ministry of Health personnel with primary responsibility for blood resource management.
• In addition to providing advice and professional leadership within the NAC, the PT members are expected to serve as champions within their own jurisdictions for blood utilization management initiatives.
• CBS shall appoint four representatives.

2.2 The NAC may invite additional experts to meetings on an ad hoc basis, to provide expertise on the subject matter being discussed.

2.3 Members shall serve for a two-year term. The term of any member may be extended by the body that appointed them (PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee). Membership terms should be staggered.

2.4 In carrying out its function, the NAC may establish subcommittees to address specific issues as well as provide representation on CBS and other national initiatives. It would be the expectation that members serve on at least 2 of these task groups per year.

2.5 The NAC shall nominate a Chair and a Vice-Chair from among its members. The Chair role will rotate with the lead province for a two year term while the Vice Chair will be selected from the next lead province. These appointments shall be subject to endorsement by the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee. The Chair and the Vice-Chair shall serve a two-year term. When feasible, the Chair will rotate with the appointment of the Lead Province for blood and blood products at the PT Committee level. The terms may be extended by agreement of the NAC, subject to endorsement by the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee.

3.0 Meetings

3.1 NAC shall meet at least two times per year, or at the call of the Chair. Additional teleconferences may be held at the call of the Chair or at the call of a standing member, upon approval of the Chair. The Vice-Chair shall chair meetings in the absence of the Chair.

3.2 Decisions shall be made by consensus among the members present. The quorum will be 50% plus 1.

4.0 Communications and Support

Secretariat and Project Coordinator

4.1 Providing the Secretariat will be the responsibility of the lead province. The PT Collaborative Fund includes a 1.0 FTE Project Coordinator. The Secretariat and Project Coordinator shall support the work of the NAC. The Secretariat and/or Project Coordinator shall be responsible for:

• coordination and administrative support of meetings
• administration of the NAC's budget
• distribution of communications to the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee and NAC members
• assistance with investigative or analytical work that may be required for the identification and resolution of blood utilization issues

4.2 The Secretariat and/or Project coordinator shall report all proceedings and recommendations of the NAC to the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee and shall report all relevant communications (e.g., guidance, requests or decisions) from the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee to the NAC.

Members

4.3 NAC members shall report NAC discussions and recommendations to the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee. It is expected there will be clear communications and mutual support between the groups.

PT Ministries of Health

4.4 NAC will support one member from each province, Project Coordinator and the secretariat, to attend meetings. PTs who appoint more than one representative for their province are expected to fund the additional representatives from their respective jurisdictions.

5.0 Evaluation

5.1 The NAC will prepare an annual work plan for review and approval by the PT/CBS Blood Liaison Committee

6.0 Conflict of Interest

6.1 Any NAC committee member that has an interest that is or could be seen by a reasonable third party to be a conflict between the NAC committee members' professional interest and the issue that is before the NAC committee must declare such a conflict to the NAC committee chair. If the committee chair is in conflict of interest it must be declared to the committee. Members are to complete a conflict of interest form on an annual basis and update as appropriate for the NAC Committee.

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