The Department recognises that animal blood-enriched agar is a critical component in microbiological diagnostics, and we recognise the importance of a sustainable and secure supply of such materials.

There are a number of suppliers on NHS Supply Chain’s current framework which offer donor animal blood supply for diagnostic use which support a level of resilience across England. To date there has been no issues with supply.

Where challenges in the supply of key products arise, these would be escalated to the Department’s National Supply Disruption Response, which works collaboratively with suppliers, manufacturers, and system partners to understand the nature of the disruption and to support appropriate mitigations.

The Department does not routinely centrally collect detailed information on the source of the licensed donor animal blood used in the manufacture of blood-enriched agar.

The Department supports the use of validated laboratory methods to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment, and robust surveillance, while encouraging the development and adoption of suitable alternatives where these can be used safely and effectively. These methods and alternatives include:

- bacterial culture, in which animal blood‑enriched agar is commonly used in clinical laboratories to help bacteria grow so that infections can be identified accurately. Some bacteria require enriched growth conditions, and the appearance of the growth on these media can help distinguish between different types of bacteria;

- antimicrobial susceptibility testing, where, in certain cases, blood‑enriched agar is required to test whether specific bacteria remain sensitive to particular antibiotics. This ensures that test results are reliable and supports clinicians in choosing the most effective treatment for patients;

- antimicrobial resistance surveillance, where laboratory results are generated using established culture and susceptibility testing methods, including blood‑enriched agar where clinically appropriate, contribute to national antimicrobial resistance surveillance. This information helps monitor resistance trends and informs public health policy and clinical guidance; and

- the recent meningitis outbreak, during which blood‑enriched agar was used, as a standard laboratory medium, in the identification of bacteria that can cause meningitis. It forms part of routine diagnostic and public health laboratory practice and supports the timely confirmation and investigation of cases during outbreaks. During the recent outbreak, such media formed part of the standard range of laboratory methods available to support diagnosis where clinically appropriate.