Stamford Hospital seeking solutions to ease queues for blood tests

A hospital-based blood test service is experiencing higher than normal demand, with an average 240 patients attending daily.

The phlebotomy service at Stamford Hospital is available weekdays from 8.30am to 4.30pm, with patients referred there from GP surgeries and from the hospital itself.

At the moment, patients take an official blood test request form to the clinic, take a numbered ticket and wait their turn in a queue.

When queues are long, volunteers who help manage the waiting area can provide patients with an estimate of the waiting time, giving them the option to go away and return before their number is called.

A spokesman for North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Stamford Hospital, said: “We are sorry that patients attending for blood tests are currently experiencing a longer wait than usual.

“The demand for phlebotomy services at the hospital has grown significantly over the past few months as a result of increased referrals from local GP surgeries.

“Our nursing team is working hard to accommodate all patients as quickly as we can. We are working with GP colleagues across the local health system to improve the situation.”

The spokesperson added that they are seeing an average of 240 patients a day, which is ‘maximum capacity’, and that they are considering an appointment-based queuing systems for this and other departments on the site. The trust is procuring costs for this.

Blood tests can be used to assess general health, detect infections, monitor liver and kidney function, screen for genetic conditions and for cancer, and check blood sugar and cholesterol levels.

What do you think would reduce queues at the phlebotomy service in Stamford?