UK Hospital Blood tests

[Mister_Hotspur]

This is quite specific but I wanted to find out others opinions on this. Basically every time I have a blood test I go to the hospital because you don't need to book an appointment you can just take a ticket and wait. Most times I go is pre Infliximab every 8 weeks. I go before work so I don't have time off work and if im first in I can get to work on time.

Now on my form it says priority, my Ibd nurse used to tell me to take priority ticket and when they fill out my form they always put priority. Is this for me or hospital?

I should add that a few months ago I took a priority ticket and was turned away by a nurse who said I was not a priority. When I rejoined the queue there was about 30 people in front of me. Only today when I had test after waiting for half an hour, a different nurse says "oh, you could have just taken a priority ticket..".

I was a little annoyed to say the least, I don't have any other options for having a blood test without taking time off work, which isn't practical given my employers view. Does anyone else use the hospital for pre Infliximab? Do you/would you press priority?

 

[rygon]

Im not sure about your hospital compared to mine but we only have one queue. The priority on the blood form means that it will be tested as a priority which normally means within an hour. As everytime Ive gone ive not needed the results for a couple of days its not processed as urgent.

I have noticed its much quieter around dinner time (normally between 11 and 1) so I try and go then. If i leave it until 3ish im there ages

Have you given this to your employer .. it may help http://www.nacc.org.uk/downloads/factsheets/employers.pdf

 

[StarGirrrrl]

Perhaps you need to contact the Hospital complaints service to get the path lab policy clarified. Seems like you are getting mixed messages here.

My Hospital opens Saturday mornings for booked appointments only, maybe your lab might do this? Sometimes they also open earlier than is advertised on the blood forms- I thought for ages it was 9am because that's what the form said. Apparently it's been 7:30am for months!

 

[Terriernut]

I have the same problem! But it is quiet in the afternoons. My GP can do the blood tests and send them to the hospital. Can you make appts for that at your GP's?? Earlier mornings? You can now book many weeks in advance at most surgerys.

 

[Bld]

At the hospital I go to, priority is only for timed blood tests and patients in clinics. Everyone else waits their turn. I doubt I'd get seen any quicker if I said I needed to get to work as I guess most people are in the same boat.

 

[Rebecca85]

Do you have a local (town) hospital rather than city or main hospital? I go to the nearest town, and there are usually about 10 people, or a 30 minute wait. They open at 7:30, so I'm usually at work for 8:30-8:45 even after battling the traffic.


Although it is annoying when 9/10 people in front of you clearly don't work and so have no real need to be seen early. In fact, my sister in law's doctors request that people who don't work attend between 10-3 to free up early and late slots for those who work- I wish all places had this policy!

 

[Mister_Hotspur]

Yes I can go to my local surgery but I have to book the appointment and they won't let me book earlier than 9am because they save them for fasting patients. I really would love them to open just a bit earlier but I've been there at 8am on the dot before and the doors were shut. In the rare case that I'm off work I'll go about 4pm as its completely empty..

Rebecca I wish everywhere had this policy, the blood dept is a shared room so they see a couple of people at a time, every time I go there is always someone in there having a good old natter whereas I could be in and out before they've taken their coat off!

 

[Rebecca85]

What- all those OAPs are waiting for starved tests?

Not buying it- at my hospital 'starved' tests get priority- you inform the nurse when you arrive and you jump the queue.

 

[Terriernut]

Where I live the OAP's arent filling the waiting room. It's people from, lets just say Eastern areas. And they certainly dont look starving!

My GP office will let me in early for the blood tests. Have you made friends with the receptionist? It helps. (I have stocks of yankee candles for all my fav health care people)

 

[Rebecca85]

My GP won't do blood tests. You have to go to the hospital. And while I'm friends with the phlebotomist, it gets me nice treatment in there but I have to take a ticket same as the others.

 

[Rebecca85]

Oh yeah, even the phlebotomist wishes the OAPs would come in later because they take so long (walking after name is called, chatting, difficulty finding veins etc) that she knows she will have a huge backlog to clear!

 

[Terriernut]

I was talking about the GP receptionist. I'm glad I can go to the GP's office for blood tests. It costs £4 to park for 30 min at the hospital! (up to 2 hours) But £4 is alot if you have to have frequent tests.

If you work normal office hours it is incredibly difficult to fit this all in. It would be great if GP'S and blood testing were available at weekends, or longer hours during the week. The system is just not set up for working people!

 

[Rebecca85]

I don't go to the city hospital for blood tests, just the small local one (which has free parking if you can find a space, which you can at 7:30 as the main hospital doesn't open till 9). It's more or less opposite my doctor's surgery, which is why they send people there for bloods.

 

[Rebecca85]

Isn't it wierd how different areas have such different policies on something as simple as a blood test?

 

[Mister_Hotspur]

I paid £2 for 30mins today, and I'll pay another £3 for tomorrows parking. To be fair though I don't mind that, it's just the lack of options like you say if they could offer late appointments or weekend tests of some sort.

I'm going to have to ask tomorrow about the priority ticketing, reading into it I understand it's for haematology patients as they have suppressed immune system so have to be seen quickly so don't catch anything in the waiting room? Common sense suggests Crohns patients on Infliximab should be viewed similarly?

 

[Mark63]

There is only one queue at my local Hospital. However, young children, people having Glucose tolerance tests and those with yellow books for coagulation therapy all go straight in. You may have the next ticket number, but some days the rest of the world seems to go in before you.

Once the tests are done I leave it for two days and then go and get a copy of the results which have to be scanned and sent to the Hospital who look after me in London. It still beats a three hour round trip to London costing ~£20 in fares. There's probably also less chance of picking-up an infection going to my local Hospital, compared to the compounded risk of a trip on over crowded public transport.

My GP surgery does offer blood tests, but only for 20 mins, four days of the week and all by prior appointment. Appointments can only be made after 11am the preceding day and are usually gone within 10 mins. There's more chance of winning the lottery than getting an appointment when you want one!

Mark

 

[Mister_Hotspur]

I think I may just take a ticket for both next time as the nurse suggested, then if I'm turned away I'll still be in line. I got a copy of my blood results today, recorded at 8.38am, about 15mins after I had it taken! Anyway nothing much stands out apart from a slightly higher ESR, I feel better but the pain is still there so I reckon 90% now I have a stricture. I hope it doesn't get any worse my appointment with GI has been rebooked for August.. Nearly 6 month after I was last supposed to see him