No routine blood tests for the foreseeable future

[WishIWasSomewhereElse]

I take Lithium, and need blood tests every three months to check for toxicity from it.

My last blood test was eight months ago, and I only got it when the pharmacist contacted the surgery, as I couldn't talk to a GP due to the pandemic and the receptionist refused to book without GP's approval.

I phoned today as I am well, well overdue. I've been told that all blood tests are suspended except for serious issues, including all routine tests, such as monitoring. Lithium toxicity comes under monitoring and as such is not required.

I've been told I probably won't get one until at least October, but probably significantly longer, as they don't know when they will start again and then they will prioritise others first.

Googling tells me there is a shortage of blood bottles and that is hampered by border controls etc. Even hospitals have been told not to do routine bloods.

I can't help but think how catastrophic this is going to be.

Are they single use bottles?

The NHS claims its a global supply issue but no other country is reporting a shortage at all.

I had a blood test yesterday at our local clinic as part of a routine annual review. The queue for pre-booked appointments snaked around the corner so no shortages of bottles near me.

I haven’t read this in the media at all. I have routine blood tests every 3 weeks to monitor a blood disorder I have. Infact I was there yesterday and everything was normal. Maybe it’s certain trusts struggling as mine seems fine.

Phlebotomist here, service as normal in my practice.

Tests are carrying on as normal in our area, I had heard there was an issue so I checked with the diabetes clinic and was told that there isn’t a supply issue in our area of the country.

It’s a fall out of brexit. We are having the same issue with my fathers routine blood tests (kidney issues). It has also been months since I’ve bern able to get liquid ceterizine hydrochloride licences for the under 6’s for my DS’s many allergies. He needs it daily, prescribed by the allergy clinic. Nice to see the media and the government are keeping quiet about it! I wonder why that is?

Not exactly Brexit - one manufacturer is having major issues, the other are not.

There are some global issues as well - covid supplies sucking materials from everything else, leading to shortages of the type of plastic. Brexit might not have helped, but it is not the direct cause.

It's affecting UK regionally, depending on which supplier they use. Wales for example has banned all non-essential blood tests.

Other areas will be restricting them, as they will be required idc to send supplies to the areas hardest hit. They are not gong to be letting Welsh patients die or cancer patients run unnecessary risks of the effects of drug toxicity (or pause all chemo) whilst supplies exist lsewhere.

Supplies due to resume by November (finger crossed?)

And no they're not reused. They have had potentially infected blood in them and so would need autoclaving to sterilise. Plastic wouldn't stand up to the heat. Glass is no longer used because little things (like blood bottles and pipettes) become too friable after they've been through the autoclave a few times, and can shatter without warning (both ruining the sample and risking the hands of lab techs)

I had blood yesterday combo of things - I mentioned it to the nurse cos the GP had mentioned to me that I had just got in, in time - due to the shortage. The nurse said as a practice they were fine. One positive from covid I've been able to get appointments at the surgery every 6 months rather than the hospital ticketing system!

Amazed by this.
Only because i am pregnant (so far so straight forward!) and have had a huge array of bloods taken that were basically pointless.
I was already annoyed about this as it generally involves repeated stabs at both arms and when unlucky also my hand! And of course huge horrendous bruises

So far I have been tested for

• AIDS, Hep and syphilis (which i didnt need and wasnt told were optional)
• my Blood typing has been done twice
• 12 weeks NT scan bloods

taken depsite them having no accurate NT reading (rendering it pointless). When i went for second NT they again couldnt get a reading on the scan and again!!! Tried to take blood (happily i had read up by this point and explained the mistake/declined)

It makes me extra cross knowing there is a shortage.
As someone else said.. strange times.

The blood bottles are made by Becton Dickinson a US company.
There are other blood bottles suppliers but BD are by far the most commonly used worldwide because they have the patent for the Vacutainers and their blood analyser machines are widely used.

@CharlotteRose90

I haven’t read this in the media at all. I have routine blood tests every 3 weeks to monitor a blood disorder I have. Infact I was there yesterday and everything was normal. Maybe it’s certain trusts struggling as mine seems fine.

It's in every paper, it's on the BBC, it's in the international press. How have you not read this at all?

This article links to the NHS guidance on the issue. The shortage is nation wide.

www.pulsetoday.co.uk/news/practice-personal-finance/nhse-denies-gps-qof-protection-as-it-warns-that-blood-test-shortage-is-worsening/

@LivingLaVidaBabyShower

Amazed by this. Only because i am pregnant (so far so straight forward!) and have had a huge array of bloods taken that were basically pointless. I was already annoyed about this as it generally involves repeated stabs at both arms and when unlucky also my hand! And of course huge horrendous bruises

So far I have been tested for

• AIDS, Hep and syphilis (which i didnt need and wasnt told were optional)
• my Blood typing has been done twice
• 12 weeks NT scan bloods

taken depsite them having no accurate NT reading (rendering it pointless). When i went for second NT they again couldnt get a reading on the scan and again!!! Tried to take blood (happily i had read up by this point and explained the mistake/declined)

It makes me extra cross knowing there is a shortage.
As someone else said.. strange times.

Absolutely same here! I've had so many blood tests done during this pregnancy. The standard ones, glucose test which consists of two blood tests within the space of two hours. My results came back negative so that was pointless. Then I have been tested for suspected low iron (turns out im borderline, so not serious) and since had ANOTHER lot of bloods taken to see if taking one iron tablet a day is making any difference. It just feels like a waste and now I feel quite guilty.

Absolutely nationwide and if you haven't heard about it yet you soon will. DH who works from home has a stock pile here to save going into the surgery every time but has been asked to return them.

From what I've learned, when some drugs are in short supply it's due to increased demand from other countries - China and India who are becoming more developed - who are prepared to pay more for them, so we get pushed down the list. Perhaps it's the same with the blood bottles. If the NHS is unable or unwilling to meet the increased prices, rationing will have to take place.

@SexTrainGlue. Thank you for the explanation. Sometimes I think it's so obvious what they should do and then someone who knows what they're talking about like you comes forward and I realise that things are always more complicated than you think.
I think that has been the case with covid too but the voices screaming everyone's making useless decisions drowns out the reasonable and reasoning voices.

Surely this is down to Covid (not brexit), and staffing etc plus a domino effect.

@callmeadoctor

Surely this is down to Covid (not brexit), and staffing etc plus a domino effect.

No. The rest of Europe has Covid and they have plenty of blood tubes.

Our surgery put something on their website about a shortage a few weeks ago. I thought it was local rather than national.

Agree it's very concerning.

Especially with the backlog of consultant appointments in hospital as you also then can't check and manage conditions.

NHS England has issued guidance to across whole of the country (I believe Scotland and Wales are doing the same) so if the shortages haven't hit you yet, they will do soon. All essential blood tests will carry on, non-essential will be put on hold. They're saying supplies should start to ease on 17th September although will not be back to normal til November.

If you have testing to check that your medication is not harming you, etc, your testing should carry on as normal.

This is what Becton Dickinson the manufacturer of blood test tubes have said about problems,with supply:

"A representative for Becton Dickinson said: “In the past few months, we have seen unprecedented demand for BD Vacutainer blood collection tubes driven by the need for these tubes for testing for COVID-19 patients, as well as routine testing for procedures that had been delayed due to the pandemic.
"In addition to increased demand, we are seeing continued transportation challenges that have affected all industries, including port and transport capacity, air freight capacity and UK border challenges. Suppliers are also challenged to meet increased demand for raw materials and components."

So although "UK border challenges" are mentioned, that's not really the big problem. So not really Brexit related.

I had same text from GP calling things routine isnt really that fair given anything that’s not going kill you is routine. Plenty of serious illness and blood or highs and low are picked up as routine and can give awful symptoms until the right thing is sorted.

Basically unless you are in A & E you not get tested GP text said for foreseeable it was very much not a short term thing. Really frightening those of us being waiting for tests and treatments and even see doctor though covid to now he told can’t even have basic test now. Really is worst time to be ill.

This is what NHS England has written to all NHS services.

"The supply position remains constrained and is forecasted to become even more constrained over the coming weeks. While it is anticipated that the position will improve from the middle of September, overall supply is likely to remain challenging for a significant period.
"All primary care and community testing must be halted until 17 September 2021, except for clinically urgent testing.

"Examples of clinically urgent testing include:

"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"

Things that are suspended are things like fertility testing and allergy testing,

@Haywirecity

Basically, if it could kill you or cause life-changing impairment in less than 3 months or so, you'll still get the tests