A controller for blood treatment equipment comprising a treatment unit including a semipermeable membrane separating the treatment unit into a first compartment for the circulation of blood and a second compartment for the circulation of a treatment liquid is enclosed. The controller is adapted to receive one or more entries of information measured during the course of a treatment procedure, to calculate from said measured information a value of a significant parameter indicative of the progress of an extracorporeal blood treatment carried out by the equipment. The controller is also adapted to compare the calculated significant parameter to a prescribed reference value for the same parameter and to generate at least one output control signal responsive to said comparison for automatically controlling one or more operations performed by the equipment. Equipment comprising the controller and a control method the controller can be programmed to carry out are also disclosed.