Chesterfield GP practice issues message as England hit with blood test tube shortage

All blood testing in the community and by GPs has been stopped except for urgent cases

GP surgeries and other health services have been ordered to stop all non-urgent blood testing, with hospitals to cut their numbers by 25 per cent, due to a deeping shortage of the vials blood samples are put into.

In a letter to NHS Trusts on Thursday, NHS England said it expected the supply position to improve from the mid-September, though overall supply is "likely to remain challenging for a significant period".

Today, Wingerworth Surgery revealed how its patients would be affected as it gave details of blood tests defined as ‘critically urgent’.

“You may have seen the news about blood bottle shortages, it’s affecting us in Derbyshire and we have been informed by Derby and Derbyshire CCG that we are not able to do any blood tests not deemed as clinically urgent,” a post on the Wingerworth Surgery Facebook page read.

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“Clinically urgent testing has been defined as bloods that are required to facilitate a two week wait referral; bloods that are extremely overdue and/or essential for safe prescribing of medication or monitoring of condition ; Bloods that if taken could avoid a hospital admission or prevent an onward referral; those with suspected sepsis or conditions with a risk of death or disability.

“This means that any more routine blood tests (like annual thyroid blood tests, hypertension or diabetes review bloods or NHS health checks) will not be able to be done. The current position will be reviewed on 17th September, we will keep you all informed if we know more.”

It said that those with a blood test booked to September 20 will be contacted.

Patients who are deemed to meet the criteria for urgent clinical will then have their appointment rebooked, while those who do not meet the criteria will be asked to rebook once the supply shortage has ended.

The surgery added: “We are sorry to have to pass on this news late on a Friday just before a bank holiday weekend however this information was only received by us within the last hour of the day and is not within our control.”

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