Donor Breast Milk Banks: The Operation of Donor Milk Bank Services

Excerpt

Seventeen donor breast milk banks are currently in operation in the UK. These provide donor milk to babies, including pre-term babies and babies with growth restriction.

It is widely recognised that there is not enough high-quality evidence on the effectiveness of donor milk in improving health outcomes. There is also concern that research into both the effectiveness of donor milk and access to donor milk is being restricted because of a lack of understanding of the process of donor milk banking, and specifically procedures for ensuring the safety of banked donor milk.

The UK Association for Milk Banking issued ‘Guidelines for the establishment and operation of human milk banks in the UK’ in 2003. This is still relevant and in use, but is past its review date. There is therefore an urgent need for an updated national guideline to ensure that donor milk banks operate according to the best available evidence and standards of practice.

This short clinical guideline aims to improve the safety of donor milk by making evidence-based recommendations on the operation of donor milk banks.