gp doesn't do blood test?

[mousmous]

so have to treck to major hospital at bloody inconvenient time to have it done.
aibu to think such a basic service should be done there and then?

(although they don't do children. There's a children's phlebotomy bit which operates on a similar basis but isn't open on Fridays. The receptionists there will tell you that on Fridays you can take children to the general phlebotomy clinic instead, but they are lying...)

We have a nurse and an assistant trained for blood tests. The gp does it in evening surgeries cos there is no one else. Booked blood tests are every morning first thing with either nurse or assistant at the surgery.

I wouldn't join a surgery without a PN. They do the contraceptive stuff, dressings, asthma and COPD checks, bloods, travel advice and immunisations, smears etc etc. sometimes a surgery will try and do it on the cheap, but it overloads the local District Nurses who generally deal with the housebound.

I go to a central London GP practice and we have a nurse to do blood tests, but there's a two week wait for appointments (just booked one today, my GP warned me to phone up two weeks ahead so it's an ongoing thing). I'm a student and it's not too difficult for me to get a convenient appointment.

Our practice nurse does contraceptive/smear stuff but I always prefer to go to the FP clinic.

My previous GP practice (also in central London but a few miles away) didn't do blood tests in house and you had to go to a major hospital. It wasn't too inconvenient (hospital is 25 mins on bus from home, GP was 10 mins walk). In some respects that would be more convenient for me as I could go on any day. Although the one time I went, it was quite a long wait and you'd have to go on a day when you didn't have to get to anything quickly afterwards.

I have to go to hospital for bloods as well.

My old surgery had a nurse who did blood tests there and then.

I get sick of going to the hospital and waiting for ages. I would change my surgery but mine is the best in my area unfortunately.

Always used to be that way here. Go to local hospital and wait hours. Now a lot of local chemists do them.

I'm a practice nurse. Many GP's don't want trained nurses "wasting their time" taking bloods or doing dressings-this doesn't bring in revenue for the practice. We are encouraged instead to be doing the chronic disease management (lots of ticking boxes) to meet targets for which the practice receives points and payment from the government.
Our receptionists have been trained to take blood instead and do a daily clinic.

You are joking ?
Receptionists taking blood ?

I'm amazed. I've been with a few surgeries and have always been se my to the hospital.

What are these little bags you're all talking about?

No. They've done the training. You don't need to be a nurse to take blood. Like I said, my time in the eyes of the GP's is better spent in activities which can be quantified and make them money!

My medications mean I need weekly blood tests (monthly when things settle down), there are plenty of people like me, it isn't like the nurses are sat twiddling their thumbs. I can't see why it would be cheaper for the nurse to be based at the hospital. In city centres anyway. Our practice has about 6 nurses, who do smears, bloods, vaccinations... There is even a duty nurse for people coming out their GP appointment there and then.

It is wrong to assume that savings are only made by denying people services, savings are also made by an early diagnosis and if you are inconveniencing patients, they are more likely to wait until it is urgent.

And to think I whinged about having to make an appointment at the Children's Hospital for DS to have bloods done. Our GP surgery will do everything else other than bloods for children. I'm on warfarin and I would change surgeries in a heartbeat if they stopped doing bloods!

The problem is, is that as PPs have said GPs don't get paid for taking blood so if there is a hospital nearby then they will send patients there.
The nearest hospitals to us are 20 miles away so our GP surgery sucks up the cost and provides daily phlebotomy service so that our patients are not inconvenienced.
However, if there was an alternative that meant our patients could have blood taken locally, but not by us we would jump at the chance as that would free up resources for us to direct care elsewhere.

I would prefer a bloods service to chronic disease management. Keep getting invited for a (waste of time) asthma review, because i wanted 1 new ventolin. (In about 6yrs)

thanks for all your reponses.
I'm just puzzled.
seriously thinking going private so that I can get bloods done close to work so I don't have to take time off work.

day off for 10 min app = inflexible employer + temperamental public transport in london + hosp being far away in other direction.

Ours went through a phase of doing that last year. Unless it was for a chronic condition like diabetes, you had to shlep to the hospital which takes a good half day and £4 bus fares.

The last few blood tests I've needed have been done back in the surgery though. I'd complained to one of the GPs about the hospital trek and he said he agreed that GPs surgeries should be able to do their patients bloods. I don't know whether there were loads of complaints or whether the GPs just decided it wasn't on or what, but there's been no mention of them not taking blood for a while now. When I showed up at the hospital the nurse was most surprised that the GP was sending patients their way.

good idea about feedback.
have just a text message with a short survey about the gp appointment.
they want feedback? they will get feedback :o

Naty1 do you really think being offered an annual review for a chronic variable condition that can kill you is a waste of time?

Dear god...

I have three chronic health conditions - two of which require blood tests. I cant even get an appointment with the nurse at my Gp's for my bloods. I've given up. Also my yearly reviews for my asthma and diabetes - nope, not had them for nearly two years. Every time I try to make an appointment I am told I have to phone at 0800 that day for a same day appointment (if they have one) I gave up after a week of trying and work was not happy about the uncertainty of whether I was going to be in or out that morning.

Receptionists taking bloods!!

I had no idea that was allowed.

At our local GP surgery the practice nurses do them, though it can take a week or two to get an appointment. I once went to book one a fortnight before needing the results, so that they would be on the system ready for my next hospital appointment. I nearly couldn't get the bloods done in time.

Yes sidge i do, for me. I havent seen anyone for 15yrs. Im 35 if i cant manage it myself by now then there is something wrong why would i have taken time off work. (Plus the 1 thing asthma-wise they could have done was give me the flu jab, but they wouldnt)
They want to control with meds but i find avoiding triggers much more important. Ive improved so much by moving out of the passive smoking environment and not having a feather duvet and pillow. (Plus not having a cat).
It does ribg true of the gp gettibg money for these.

GP surgery will take blood samples but they aren't very good so you tend to need to go to the local hospital as they can't find a vein unless you are very lucky!!
It does piss me off though

Receptionists can take bloods but only if they have done the phlebotomy training course. It's quite intensive. But an approved course and part way to a health care assistant role. One of our receptionists did this then helped with other things then went to do nursing and after July will be a fully qualified nurse and will leave us which will be awful as she is brilliant. In England there are terrible problems with commissioning for blood tests. It is very political but needs to be sorted out which is why blood tests are u Eder to get. I do a few bloods if I want quick results but not otherwise. It adds time. We only have 10 minutes to see you so if we have to take all the bloods then that takes more time which we don't have.

Going private for bloods would really make you appreciate the NHS. Even a basic test could cost £100. As an aside, I need bloods done on saturday. It has to be saturday…so i'll have to do it MYSELF. No kidding. I am trained but still..