The primary treatment for genetic haemochromatosis is venesection, a process of regular, controlled blood-letting similar to blood donation. Over the past 4 years, our charity has worked to improve patient safety, through the development of best practice guidance for venesection.

A Freedom of Information study in 2016 showed that fewer than 1 in 4 NHS hospital trusts had a defined clinical protocol for venesection. Consequently, people with genetic haemochromatosis experienced variations in standards of care during their treatment.

An award-winning initiative

Haemochromatosis UK brought together healthcare professionals, volunteers, people affected by poor clinical practice, nursing educators and the general public to set about developing this new guidance in a collaborative manner to meet this unmet training need. 

The process was led by two nurses - Yvonne Francis, Clinical Nursing Specialist at Guy's Hospital and Gerri Mortimore, Lecturer in Advanced Nursing Practice at University of Derby. You can read about our journey here.

This initiative has been recognised by a national Patient Safety Learning Award and was a finalist in the Abbvie Better Health Awards, organised in conjunction with the Patients Association.

Our venesection best practice guidance represents the culmination of over 3 years' work with over 200 nurses and other healthcare professionals to identify, document and coalesce best practice for venesection procedures. In early 2020, our work was endorsed by the Royal College of Nursing.

Download Venesection Best Practice Guidance

The venesection best practice guidance is available free of charge for download from our website. 

Download Venesection Best Practice Guidance

Copies may also be obtained for free from all Royal College of Nursing libraries, the British Library, the Ashmolean library (Oxford), Cambridge University library, Trinity College Dublin library.

The book is also available for free loan from public libraries in the UK and Republic of Ireland, by requesting the ISBN 978-1-5272-5516-6.

Download Venesection Best Practice eBook

The book is available for download from Amazon, globally for a small charge (99 pence).

Download eBook Edition

Copies may also be downloaded for free :

• by communities in developing countries
• by Amazon Prime members
• by Amazon Kindle Unlimited members in UK, USA, Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, India, Japan, and Australia
• by Amazon Kindle Owners' Lending Library members in UK, USA, Germany, France and Japan

Readers do not need to own a Kindle device to read the book in eBook format. Simply use Amazon Kindle Reader online, for free or install a free eBook reader for PC, Mac and Android devices.