The health chief of the UK public-sector union Unison deplores the government over its plans to privatize part of the National Health Service (NHS) blood service.

The coalition government decided last summer to review the function of several public bodies including the NHS blood service to make it more commercially effective.

Accordingly, a review was launched to decide the future of NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), which encourages people to donate blood and organs.

The government said these bodies “are expected to exploit commercial opportunities and maximize commercial discipline across the sector."

But, Unison health chief Karen Jennings lashed out at the plans.

"The blood service is world class and doesn't need interfering with”, said Jennings.

"It epitomizes how successfully volunteers and the public sector can work together, free from contamination by the profit motive”, she added.

"It is a service people are proud to work in and you cannot put a price on giving blood to save lives”, said the Unison official.

"We know from all the evidence that fragmenting services, outsourcing and the contracting out damages that ethos and, more importantly, damages the smooth running of the service", she said.

MOL/HE