Public release of independent performance review of Canadian Blood Services

October 28, 2013 (OTTAWA) - Provincial and territorial Ministers of Health (except Quebec) announce today the public release of a recent independent performance review of Canadian Blood Services. This review, conducted by Ernst and Young, and covering the years April 2008 to March 2012, was commissioned at the request of the Chair of the Board of Directors for Canadian Blood Services, with the approval of provincial and territorial Ministers of Health as Corporate Members of the organization.

Overall, the review found the blood system and related activities to be safe and well run, and that Canadians can continue to have trust and confidence in the system. It recognizes several areas where the organization is excelling, such as hospital satisfaction, safety and supply of products, stakeholder engagement and transparency, and achievement of efficiencies. It also makes recommendations for additional improvements and suggests ways to strengthen accountability.

There is broad agreement with the recommendations from both governments and Canadian Blood Services. Of the 79 recommendations, more than half were already underway; governments and Canadian Blood Services will continue to work together to address the remaining recommendations over the coming months.

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