Elderly FIL and blood test

[ExitViaGiftShop]

My elderly FIL had a blood test booked for yesterday, which was due to take place in the Phlebotomy dept of his local hospital. He turned up and when it was his turn, was told by the phlebotomist that they could not take his bloods because he had not brought his 'blood form' with him. This is a piece of paper which apparently details the type of blood test he needs. So, he had to go home and I've rebooked it for him.

Is this standard procedure or did he encounter a jobs worth? Surely all the info regarding his blood test is held on the NHS computer? It's 2024, not 1994! I'm really
annoyed that an 86 year old man was turned away and that the staff could not have found a solution to this non problem. AIBU?

We have had similar conversations by the sound of it.

IME this one:

Well, we're different here in "Thistown" - what works in "Othertown" and "Anytown" won't work here.

Is usually accompanied by a pitying head tilt or similar.

Obviously all the expertise and experience brought into the room is as nought compared to Fred who spent 20 years doing the same job in the same trust/practice and wouldn't know a modern business system of process if it kicked him in the arse with size 12 boots. (or Fred whose wife's cousin happens to be the midget company providing support for the status quo).

That can even be the case at a local hospital, especially at weekends or holidays when they cannot locate gp records. Many services are subcontracted and those records are not on same system either.

Thats like asking why M&S have different policies to Primark, but they both sell knickers. Each GP practice is a business, they run their business in the best way they see fit, they employ staff etc, although they are part of the NHS, they are completely separate entities.

But to use your example - different retailers learn from each other all the time - when I was in retail it was common to plan sales around other stores sales, for example, or to change your window display to fit the local area to try and attract customers.

So I'm not sure why a GP surgery in Hull can't look at another surgery in Maidstone and think "oh, well they're obviously doing something right so let's see what we can do to be more like them".

@ExitViaGiftShop
Very interesting thread
Just to show we've not totally heartless.
Today a patient went for a blood test at the local hospital- forgot his fiord
Rang up the clinic.
Staff managed the get hold of the nurse (no mean feat)
Nurse rang phlebotomist and managed to talk them into taking the blood.
But that took 4 people.
Not always possible- we were just lucky

Form **

@TammyJones you are having an emotional reaction and getting a bit defensive. No need. What you did today for a patient was very kind but also utterly ridiculous when you think about it.

The health service in this country needs a reset and then an upgrade. Emotion doesn't come into it. Successive govt have manipulated the general public to put the NHS on a pedestal and told us the staff are selfless angels who are above and beyond criticism. We must be grateful for a poor and inefficient service. It's not on. It's not healthy for anyone - staff or patients.

It needs to be looked at objectively and reform must happen.

"But at some point the GP/Consultant has written a referral letter saying "Please do Test XYZ for Mr Smith""

No, this is not how it works at all. The blood form is essentially the referral letter - without that the phlebotomy dept don't know which one of dozens of different blood tests, some of which need special preparation/arrangements for are needed. the only information the phlebotomy dept need is the form that the pt brings with them - again, why did the pt think they were given a blood form? The patient books their own appointment - the point of this is that it is at the most convenient time/location for the pt, so no appointment letter is needed.

Doing the system you describe would create more paperwork and delay not less.

Well, that's all very nice, but now imagine that you need 4 people and 20+ minutes of time, several times per day when people forget their form (and also, don't get any incentive to bring their form the next time, because there were no consequences).

It's not always feasible to do what you describe.

@ApiratesaysYarrr

Again, thanks for explaining how it works where you are.

I'm still bemused that the phlebotomy dept doesn't know why the patient is coming (and I don't understand how they can make "special preparation/arrangements" if they don't have this information in advance) nor that the entire process comes to a halt if the patient does not have the blood form with them. In 2024 this info should be easily transferred or accessed electronically, even if the patient forgets to bring the form. As others have posted - the situation is that without the form, the phlebotomist doesn't know why the patient is there, and nor does the patient. How anyone can think this is a workable or sensible arrangement is difficult to grasp.

"Well, that's all very nice, but now imagine that you need 4 people and 20+ minutes of time, several times per day when people forget their form..."

Are you saying that there are several people each day who forget to bring their forms? In which case the process really is not clear to these patients and as a minimum, communication to the patient needs to be better, or the process is simply not fit for purpose if several patients each day are making wasted journeys.

I’ve had my blood taken many times in many hospitals by phlebotomists. Not one has ever had a referral, just the blood form I have in my hot sticky hands.

Let me tell you about getting a blood test where I live.

If through my GP annually for a routine matter. I'm told I need one and to book it at the surgery with the nurse or via a slot at the hospital. The blood form goes in the portal. There is no paper.

The nurse's availability is rarer than a pink unicorn. I work full-time still and this blood test can't be stored overnight for the 10.30am courier. It is not possible to book an appointment far enough in advance before the diary slots run out.

Usually I book a slot at the hospital via the on-line booking service (you can't telephone). The hospital is the opposite direction to my work journey so I tally it with a day off, I have to. 35 minute drive (SW London so traffic), 20 minute queue to park, 2 minute blood test, 35 minute drive home.

30 years ago, getting a blood test at the GP practice was no problem and the GP would do it for you if necessary. I get frustrated by the continual whine of too busy. 30 years ago, I got one prescription a year for thyroxine, now I get six. If practices have time to mess about with doing things six times instead of once, they have time to take a two minute blood test.

For my consultant requested bloods (different trust), again I make an on-line appointment and the paperwork digitised.

The on-line appointments are great and work for me because I am happy to use IT - the issue is there is no way round fir thise who aren't. There is no paperwork to remember and you get a time slot that largely runs to time. They are recent however and before you booked a slot on-line it was turn up, take a ticket and wait - sometimes for up to three hours. YES THREE HOURS and there was no communication freely given about the waiting times. It was also difficult to judge the queue because the waiting area was shared with maternity and gastro clinics.

The service may be free at the point of delivery but the delivery is not geared to patient needs it is geared to hospital needs. This approach exists in no other sector. There is zero respect for patient time and whilst I hear the arguments that a lower percentage of GDP is made available to the NHS than in Continental Europe, in Continental Europe there is less investment of patient time (lack of productivity) in accessing services. If one were to add the cost of wasted patient/lost economic activity time to UK GDPR I think the total economic investment into the UK system would be far higher than in Europe.

We are encountering this at the moment. DH has been in hospital away from home for the past few weeks.

Because it is a different trust they don't have access to most of his extensive medical history at various specialist hospitals. There have been all sort of delays whilst doctors have repeatedly tried to get hold of his neurologist etc for information that they cannot access.

@msbevvy this is why I insist on copies of all medical notes/reports. I am amazed what doesn't reach my GP.

'The NHS' doesn't actually exist.

That's probably the truth of it.

All my medical records, prescriptions, previous & future GP and hospital appointments, details of all my vaccinations etc etc are all on my NHS app. Surely they could facilitate a digital blood order from within the app so that the patient just shows a barcode or shows the form on their phone?

Madness