A NORTH-EAST accountancy and business advisory firm is helping to run vital product testing after joining a blood drive.

More than 20 generous volunteers from Baldwins have so far donated 66 tubes of blood over a series of visits from Hartlepool-based Hart Biologicals – one of Baldwins’ longest standing clients.

As a biotechnology company that focuses on providing tools for diagnostic purposes, it is imperative that any products Hart Biologicals manufactures go through extensive quality testing.

Originally, blood donations were taken from members of staff at Hart Biologicals, but as operations have grown and quality systems have improved, their needs have increased. Now the company looks to local businesses for donations to support the team in completing their vital work.

Sandra Hull, experienced phlebotomist at Hart Biologicals said: “Blood donated from companies such as Baldwins enables us to complete vital quality control testing.

“After passing extensive testing, our products can be sold to hospitals or surgeries to be used in confidence for diagnosing and monitoring blood disorders.

“This is very important to Hart Biologicals as without the fresh blood we would not be able to run the tests. Hence, we would not be able to sell our products.

“Once the blood is drawn, we have a certain amount of time to use it, which is normally a three-hour limit, so we are very grateful to local businesses for their willingness to help.

“Having support from local businesses means we can return the blood to our scientists in a timely manner.”

Baldwins has worked with Hart Biologicals since 2002 and assists with the company with a range of its services from accounting, payroll and tax to more specialised areas such as research and development, tax credits and grant funding support.

Andrew Rowe, partner at Baldwins, a CogitalGroup company, said: “We love to support our clients in any way we can, especially Hart Biologicals who does such great work around research and testing that will have an impact on the safety of those undergoing surgery.

“Hart Biologicals is constantly on the search for blood donations to be able to carry out testing and we wanted to be a part of it to show our support for the team and the excellent work they do every day.”

Hart Biologicals engages in the research, development, manufacture and marketing of a range of ​in-vitro​ diagnostic products for use in the detection, prevention, and monitoring of a number of medical conditions related to haemostasis and platelet function. To discover more about the work the firm does, visit: www.hartbio.co.uk

Baldwins specialises in accountancy and business advisory services, including corporate finance and specialist tax advice to all businesses from start-ups to mature companies, across a broad range of business sectors. For more information about its services, visit www.baldwinsaccountants.co.uk