Welsh Blood Service
The Welsh Blood Service is a division of Velindre University NHS Trust responsible for the collection of blood in Wales, and of the distribution of blood products to hospitals within the country, as well as other related functions. History. The service was established in 1946. At that time the only test carried out was for syphilis. Since then more than 10 million units of blood have been donated in Wales. Operations. The Welsh Blood Service's roles include All-Wales Blood Service. On 2 May 2016 the Welsh Blood Service became a national service and began collecting  and distributing blood in North Wales. Previously to this, the service covered Mid, South and West Wales, with NHS Blood and Transplant, covering North Wales. Research and development. The research and development activity within the Welsh Blood Service supports a broad range of healthcare topics. Its four research themes, Transplantation, Donor Care and Public Health, Products and Therapies reflect the spectrum of this work. In 2017 the Welsh Blood Service published its Research and Development Strategy, which details its planned expansion of activity into collaborative work and engaging in regenerative and personalised medicine fields.