The Italian National Blood Centre (CNS), established by the Decree of the Health Minister of 26th April 2007, It began his mandate on August 1, 2007. It is a national centre of the Ministry of Health that operates at the National Health Institute. It carries out coordination and technical-scientific control functions over the national transfusion system in the matters regulated by Law 219/2005 and by the decrees transposing the European directives.
Low no. 219 of 21st October 2005 219 “New provisions regulating transfusion activities and the national production of blood derivatives” is the result of extensive analysis and consultation, and above all the sharing of objectives and intentions among all the players in the Blood System (local and national institutions, Associations and Federations of voluntary blood workers, and health professionals). This law led to the introduction of coordination measures at regional and national level that are now a major strength of Italy’s Blood System.
Regional Coordination Centres are established pursuant to Article 6(1) of Law 219/2005, which specifies their functions and strategic objectives.
The Italian National Blood Centre is a national coordination centre.
The tasks entrusted to the CNS are very complex both in terms of quantity and quality (see Article 12, paragraph 4, Law 219/2005). They go from support activities to regional and national planning, supervisory and control functions, and the promotion of training and scientific research in the specific field of transfusion medicine.
Because of the need to respect regional organisational autonomy, it operates according to principles of governance, i.e. participatory decision-making.
In 2018, it obtained ISO 9001 certification for the following activities: national/interregional coordination in transfusion matters; support and consultancy for the purposes of planning and organising transfusion activities; issuing guidelines applicable to the transfusion network; support to the Ministry of Health for the drafting/revision of regulatory acts and monitoring of related compliance; design and organisation of training and dissemination events for the transfusion network; activation, promotion and management of studies and scientific research projects and for the improvement of the transfusion network; management and coordination of the information flows required by law; haemovigilance and epidemiological surveillance activities; management of the National Directory of Inspectors of the Italian Transfusion System (VSTI); management of inspections associated with control measures; promotion and support for the planning and coordination of external quality control regarding procedures and diagnostic methods in the transfusion field; monitoring and verification of the objectives defined by legislation and national planning in the transfusion medicine sector.