Friday, 14 June is World Blood Donor Day, set up to encourage those who can to give blood and help save a life. There may be a few restrictions in place to protect donor and recipient, but most people between the ages of 18 and 65 can donate at least one pint of blood at some point in their lives.
It’s a very simple process. Register to donate online or by phone, turn up and fill in a health-check form. Have a glass of water and a quick chat with a donor carer. Have a finger prick test to check your blood’s iron levels. Lie back in the special chair while the blood is taken and then enjoy a cup of tea and a few biscuits before you leave. It takes about an hour altogether. Then a few days later a text arrives telling you where your blood has gone.
In this country most blood donations are used in transfusions to treat medical conditions such as cancers and blood disorders, during surgery or to treat blood loss after childbirth. With 7,000 donations of blood needed every day that’s a fair few forms to look after.
The NHS Trusts have a staggering amount of data to look after. All the forms, letters, advice guides and booklets, X-rays and scans associated with each patient, hospital, doctor and clinic. All of this has to be kept track of, in paper or digital format, whether travelling between reception and GP, from one hospital ward to another, or in and out of deep storage. All this data also has to conform with the GDPR and NHS retention and disposal strategies. The mind boggles.
Our Dovetail asset tracking system can track files as they are moved between desks and departments and in and out of off-site storage. It can also alert you when data is due for destruction. Our secure storage centres for digital or paper records can be ‘near’ for active records or ‘deep’ for longer-term storage. Either way, the potential to free up valuable space is huge.
If managing your company’s data is boggling your mind we recommend you speak to one of our friendly, knowledgeable people on 0333 060 5630. They’ll be able to suggest ways of helping you keep track of your information and soothe your fevered brow…!
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