NAC Blood Shortage Working Group
Terms of Reference
1. Mandate
1.1 To serve as the technical, medical and scientific working group, on behalf of the National Advisory Committee on Blood and Blood Products (NAC), in the development of a national framework for responding to any crisis which impacts the adequacy of the blood supply in Canada.
1.2 The National Advisory on Blood and Blood Products' Blood Shortage Working Group (NAC BSWG) shall maintain the 'National Plan for the Management of Shortages of Labile Blood Components'. To this end, the NAC BSWG shall:
- Ensure that the national plan is effective in managing blood product shortages in jurisdictions served by Canadian Blood Services (CBS), allowing for equitable access to blood products across the country.
- Actively review the national plan and its appendices following blood product shortage simulations, suggesting and approving identified revisions. Specifically this includes the ethical framework, stakeholder consultation process and the identification of gaps / additional work to be done
1.3 The NAC BSWG shall report to the NAC
2. Membership
2.1 Membership of the NAC BSWG will be reviewed on an annual basis. It will include, at a minimum, the following:
- NAC BSWG Chair - this will be an existing NAC member determined by the NAC Chair
- NAC Chair
- Three (3) additional NAC members
- Four (4) Provincial / Territorial representatives - one of which is to be from the Lead Province National Blood Portfolio
- CBS Representation - suggested members include:
- Director, Product and Hospital Services
- Director, Government Relations
- Legal Council
- Regional Medical Representative
- Executive National Medical Representative
- Ministry of Health, Quebec - Liaison
- Other - Canadian Society of Transfusion Medicine
2.2 The NAC BSWG may invite additional experts to meetings on an ad hoc basis to provide expertise on the subject matter being discussed.
2.3 In carrying out its function, the NAC BSWG may establish sub-groups to address specific issues in regard to the national plan i.e.: massive transfusion, communications, inventory etc.
3. Meetings
3.1 Meetings may be held by teleconference or in person at the call of the Chair or at the call of a standing member, upon approval of the Chair.
3.2 Decisions shall be made by consensus among the members present. The quorum will be 50% plus 1.
3.3 The NAC secretariat will arrange teleconferences / meetings and record and distribute minutes of the meetings.
4. Responsibility
4.1 The BSWG is a subcommittee of the NAC. The NAC is accountable to the Provincial / Territorial Canadian Blood Services Blood Liaison Committee (P/T CBS BLC). Reports outlining identified revisions to the national plan will be submitted to the NAC and subsequently the P/T CBS BLC for implementation approval.
4.2 Identified sub-groups of the NAC BSWG will have required participation on the NAC BSWG Chair and NAC Chair ensuring the appropriate communciation channel is maintained. These individuals are not required to act as Chair of the active sub-group.
5. Expenses
5.1NAC BSWG members and sub-group members will be reimbursed for previously approved travel expenses according to NAC travel expense guidelines.
6. Conflict of Interest
6.1 Any member that has an interest that is or could be seen by a reasonable third party to be a conflict between the working groups' professional interest and the issue that is before the group must declare such a conflict to the working group Chair. If the working group Chair is in conflict of interst it must be declared to the working group and NAC. Members are to complete a conflict of interest form on an annual basis and update as appropriate for the working group.
