12 60 seconds with… Paul Sandajan Lead transfusion practitioner, North Mid Tell me a bit about your job history? When I came to the UK I worked as a medical lab assistant at Barts Health NHS Trust before moving to North Mid in 2011. In 2019 I applied for a job as an assistant transfusion practitioner with the help of the then-lead who encouraged me to get the necessary qualifications. What experience shaped you? Back in the early 90s, I worked in the largest hospital in the southern Philippines and saw rebels and soldiers being treated side by side in ED. Often the rebels didn’t have names, so you were reliant on a finger prick test to confirm their blood type at the bedside. That was my first experience of seeing transfusion saving lives. What’s the best part of your role? I really enjoy the training element of my job, it’s so important to make sure everyone has an in-depth understanding of blood transfusion, patient blood management and the importance of blood donation. My role is to ensure safe, effective, and appropriate use of blood components by bridging laboratory and clinical services, providing expert education, implementing policies, investigating incidents, and managing resources – all to improve patient care and reduce unnecessary transfusions. We also often receive trauma patients with gunshot or stab wounds and I’m one of the trainers for trauma and life support, specifically ‘major haemorrhage’, at the trust. What are you most proud of? Recently, I’ve been involved in creating a non-medical blood prescriber policy that is about to launch. It’s important that more people are trained to prescribe blood so we can help our patients faster. For patients with sickle cell and thalassaemia, longer wait times equals more pain. Nearly half of red cells that we give are for people with inherited red cell disorders so being able to support them in a timely manner will be a big step forward. What might people not know about what you do? One of the things I get involved in is supporting staff whose patients decline transfusion, mostly for religious reasons. We have a large Jehovah’s Witness community, so this comes up regularly. We always respect a patient’s beliefs, but we explain that we can still optimise the situation by providing alternative treatments, including the use of an autologous cell salvage machine. What are some of the day-to-day issues you face? I’m here to advise on any transfusion-related issues from clinical and clerical staff. I’m often to be found checking requests in the lab to ensure any incidents, errors or near-mistakes are acted upon immediately. We all work very hard to reduce risks, including regular auditing. What do you enjoy doing when you’re not at work? For me, baking is the perfect stress reliever. I pretty much took over the kitchen in the run up to Christmas and I’ll be baking again for blood donation awareness week in June. Everyone asks me for my cassava cake recipe but I’m never going to share it. Taking care of your wellbeing Every day, our staff go above and beyond to care for our patients. Please take the time to also look after your own wellbeing: • 24/7 helpline (out of hours) contact Care First on 0800 174319 (24/7) service) for emotional and psychological support or access online via carefirst-lifestyle.co.uk; login details can be found on Freenet • Contact the Samaritans (on 116 123), NHS Helpline (111) or your GP • Cost of living worries can have a huge impact on our mental health – visit our financial wellbeing page on Freenet • Visit Freenet for a range of resources, information and other wellbeing tips
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