Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government what joint work is being undertaken between the Ministry of Defence, the Department of Health and Social Care, and NHS bodies to assess and strengthen the resilience of the UK's blood supply in support of national defence planning.

Defence Medical Command (DMedC) has completed a detailed assessment of the requirement for blood to support military operations across a range of scenarios, including warfighting at scale. This work supports the ongoing strategic partnership with NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC) to assess and strengthen the resilience of the UK's blood supply in support of national defence planning. Further, the UK is leading work within NATO to improve how blood and blood products are collected, stored, and shared among NATO allies.

DMedC and NHSBT have signed a strategic partnership which will help innovate battlefield transfusion in an era of drone warfare. The joint research will drive research, improve urgent transfusion care in complex environments, and have dual use capability, which improve both military and civilian healthcare. This partnership underpins our commitment to providing the very best medical support to our people, wherever they serve.

The Defence Investment Plan has set out £20 million investment in battlefield blood products with £10 million for dried blood products, supporting the Blood Far Forward programme which enables life-saving blood transfusion care closer to the battlefield by reducing reliance on refrigeration, and £10 million for Tranexamic Acid (TXA) autoinjectors, which allows blood-clotting medication to be administered rapidly on the battlefield improving survival from severe blood loss.