Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists questions

Yes, the storage facilities we use are accredited by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and licensed by the Human Tissue Authority. This means the facilities are fully compliant with UK regulations, and have been inspected and approved by independent, government-approved experts on cord blood stem cell storage.

In the unlikely event that no stem cells are collected we’ll let you know and discuss what will happen next.

Yes. As you would expect from Virgin Health Bank, the tests carried out on the umbilical cord blood unit and the maternal blood samples comply with all the regulatory requirements.

Yes, all of our procedures adhere to all applicable regulatory requirements.

Yes we do, ensuring the safe storage of cord blood stem cells is very important. In the UK there are strict regulations on the storage of cord blood stem cells – and, as you’d expect, our laboratories comply with the highest standards.

The cord blood units within Virgin Health Bank's dual - private and public - bank are all safely stored in our UK laboratory facility.

Yes. To make sure that each cord blood unit is safely transported to our laboratory, we meet all the regulatory requirements and provide special packaging designed to help control the temperature of the blood sample during transit.

Current research indicates that cord blood units can be stored for many years without harming the stem cells. Your contract with Virgin Health Bank includes storage for 20 years, after which we’ll contact you to discuss arrangements for continued storage if you wish.

Virgin Health Bank is a dual – private and public – banking service:

• Your privately stored cord blood unit can be stored for the full 20 years of your contract with us, or until you request its release. As the end of your contract approaches we will contact you to discuss whether you would like to extend storage or would prefer we safely dispose of the unit in accordance with the relevant regulations.
• The unit held within the public bank is placed on a transplantation registry. If a unit held within the public bank is no longer needed it will be disposed of in accordance with relevant regulations.

Virgin Health Bank is responsible for screening the baby’s cord blood unit and the maternal blood samples. All of the tests performed are carried out in accordance with the relevant regulations. We also use an NHS laboratory with Clinical Pathology Accreditation (CPA) to perform the required tests on the maternal blood samples. Once the test results are confirmed as negative for HIV/hepatitis the cord blood unit is moved into long-term storage.

Yes, the privately stored cord blood unit may be released by you or the person you nominate in your application to join Virgin Health Bank.

The storage of your cord blood unit is guaranteed for the full 20 years of your contract with us.