EBA Strategy 2019-2022

EBA delivers on its mission by underpinning a safe and sustainable supply of high quality substances of human origin for its members, through three pillars:

  1. Safeguarding donor health and wellbeing.
  2. Safeguarding and improving patient care
  3. Safeguarding the blood supply and improving performance

The EBA is guided by 5 core values: Donor Care, Patient Safety, Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donation, Openness through Information Sharing and Excellence through Evidence.

1 Safeguarding donor health and wellbeing

Ensuring the well-being of the donor in connection to the donation is a prime task for blood services. The European Blood Alliance will actively contribute this through:

  • Selection and protection of donors
    The proper selection of donors at each moment in time ensures that donors stay healthy and that deferral rules are evidenced-based.
  • Research to ensure safe donation
    To ensure donor health, the EBA supports structured studying of donor health and behaviour.
  • Involving donor organizations where possible
    The voice of the donor is important and EBA will involve donor organisations where possible and will strengthen the relation with the donor.

GOAL: provide the EBA members with scientifically based information to develop and maintain a stable and healthy donor base population.

2 Safeguarding and improving patient care

Safe blood products to all patients who need these as therapies is the core of the EBA’s members business. EBA supports this through:

  • Safety and quality of Substances of Human Origin

SoHOs are kept safe and of high quality through the selection of donors, efficient mitigation of infectious risks, validated manufacturing processes, accurate characterization of products that match the recipient needs, and careful patient monitoring.

EBA places highest priorities on this issue and has multiple devoted activities, such as the Emerging Infectious Disease Monitor.

  • Plasma Collection

Securing an adequate supply of plasma for fractionation in Europe and consequently plasma derived medicinal products is of prime importance. Ensuring increased availability of this strategic resource sourced from European Voluntary Non-Remunerated Donors is a key objective for the EBA.

  • Equal access to blood products

All EU citizens have equal rights to health treatment; EBA supports this by striving for qualitative and quantitative self-sufficiency of SoHO’s in all European regions. Also, the EBA supports the linkage and shared use of rare blood databases throughout Europe.

  • Involving patient and hospital organisations

The patients care and wellbeing are the ultimate goal of all EBA members’ operations. EBA keeps in close contact with patient and hospital organisations to ensure that their needs are understood and take into account.

  • Optimal Use of Blood: supporting Patient Blood Management (PBM) programmes

Blood provides lifesaving therapies from a scarce source and should be used where it will benefit the patient. EBA lead projects for evidence-based PBM and is dedicated to demonstrating the value of  proper use of blood products.

GOAL: EBA members provide SOHO-products of high quality, striving for equal access for all patients who need these.

3 Safeguarding the blood supply and improving performance

EBA supports the operations of the Blood Establishments by identifying best practices. EBA members strive collectively to improve the supply of blood products and, where provided  by members, other substances of human origin (SOHOs).

  • Business continuity and sustainability based on Voluntary Non-Remunerated Blood Donations

Business continuity is part of ensuring a sustainable supply of products in all situations. EBA facilitates sharing of back-up arrangements with templates and sharing information on issues with technologies.

VNRD reflects the European value of a broad altruistic donor population securing the continuation of the European blood supply.

  • Tissues, cells, advanced therapies and new opportunities

With horizon scanning and business intelligence reports, EBA supports members efforts to invest in new therapeutic fields, leveraging on the members’ experience with donors and blood product manufacturing. EBA also facilitates building a network for ATMP production. Further, EBA supports members by providing information on new technologies and best practices pertaining to quality and safety of SOHOs.

  • Performance improvement through benchmarking/lean management

Benchmarking has been part of EBA operations since long. The scope of benchmarking will be expanded from delivering benchmarking data and organising workshops and “flying squad” visits to also comprise a focus on quality management and assist members with self-assessment schemes and self-auditing schemes.

  • Advising European Union (EU) institutions

EBA has since its inception been the one voice to EU Institutes for the members. With the current evaluation and possible revision of the EU Directives for Blood, Tissues and Cells this is still the case. The power of the EBA lies in the facts that EBA has a wide network which can be leveraged for political matters, the sourcing of the best experts for regulatory support and relying on scientific evidence, where available.

GOAL: high-performing blood, tissues and cells services within an equitable and predictable working environment in European blood, tissues and cells sector.

4 Instruments to implement the strategy

Data Depository

The EBA strives for excellence through evidence. EBA is committed to using evidence-based information as basis for performance improvement. Similarly, evidence-based policy forms the basis of EBA’s advice to the EU Institutions.

The combined network of all the EBA Members

The EBA is a wide network of national, regional and hospital blood banks throughout EU and EFTA member states. EBA members employ over 30.000 people, among which are the best experts in the field. This combined force ensures that the EBA can source to European institutions all needed knowledge.

Contact

Office: C/o BLSI, Clos Chapelle-aux-Champs, 30 – bte 1.30.30
B-1200 Brussels, Belgium - Tel +32 2 8806216

Registered address: Plesmanlaan 125, 1066 CX Amsterdam, The Netherlands

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