SA Community Care helps to support hospital avoidance by providing blood transfusions for eligible patients in their own homes, including residential aged care facilities.

The information below has been developed to assist General Practitioners, Residential Aged Care Facilities and other community health professionals to refer patients into the program as a hospital avoidance solution.

A Blood Transfusions fact sheet (PDF 807KB) is also available. 

You will need

  • Metropolitan Referral Unit (MRU) referral form
  • Medication Authority
  • most recent haemoglobin level
  • group and cross match/hold details
  • referring doctor’s contact details and numbers that they will contactable on for duration of transfusion in case medical advice required
  • approximate date of last transfusion
  • name of pathology organisation that will be providing blood products.

Referral form

Complete the Referral Form available from the referral forms page, including the following information:

  • hemoglobin (hb) level
  • reason for transfusion
  • statement that patient consents to blood transfusion procedure
  • group and cross match/hold, date of sampling and pathology company used as provider will coordinate blood product delivery with scheduled visit
  • approximate date of last transfusion
  • any known past reactions to blood transfusions, as this may exclude patient from this community-based service
  • any requirement for cannulation
  • doctors contact number on date of transfusion, this will enable clinician to contact with non-emergency matters
  • determine if patient/facility has supplies of diuretics, if ordered

Medical authority

Complete the Referral Form available from the referral forms page, including the following information:

  • date of transfusion
  • transfusion product to be infused
  • number of units to be transfused
  • length of time for each unit required
  • intravenous (IV) diuretics if indicated. These are to be ordered in the home as we do not supply these.
  • normal saline flushes and priming of lines do not need to be ordered.

Submitting your referral

Please send above information to the Metropolitan Referral Unit and await service confirmation. Service confirmations are sent between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm, 7 days a week including public holidays.

Contact the Metropolitan Referral Unit team on 1300 110 600 if you wish to discuss an individual’s needs and eligibility for this service.