Shortage of plastic tubes for blood tests

[musicalfrog]

Could it be because there are so many plastic tubes being produced for covid testing? I mean, it's a bit of a coincidence if not.

Yet another way covid is trumping all other health concerns.

This manic testing for covid needs to stop, or at least slow down.

I don't think it is specifically testing for covid but if people are ill they need blood tests doing to find out what is wrong and how they are responding to treatment.

More people ill means more blood tests. It isn't covid trumping everything. It's prioritising people who are ill over people who maybe ill. My frequency of my routine warfarin test has been put back. If those one or two tubes can be better used elsewhere then I am all for it.

No, it’s a Brexit thing plus Covid staffing and supply chain issues.

Like no bottled drinks at McDonalds and 10% of Nando’s shutting due to lack of chicken.

If you look up what the main supplier of blood test tubes to the NHS, Becton Dickinson, is saying it’s logistics issues brought about by Brexit.

This has been a consistent but overshadowed concern for many months. There is a massive shortage of HGV drivers and extra paperwork involved with imports by any means.

but it's nothing to do with covid testing. You have taken one issue and twisted in to something it's not.

Did you just read the headline and not the actual story? The articles I've read about this matter fully explain why there's an issue and Covid testing is not the reason.

@musicalfrog

Could it be because there are so many plastic tubes being produced for covid testing? I mean, it's a bit of a coincidence if not.

Yet another way covid is trumping all other health concerns.

This manic testing for covid needs to stop, or at least slow down.

If you stopped to think for a second, you'd realise the tubes used to collect venous blood are not the same as the tubes used in PCR or LFT testing.

No, testing people for COVID has not led to this issue.

COVID has exacerbated it, as people ill with COVID need blood tests, but I'm assuming you're not suggesting anyone ill should be denied treatment to stop "COVID trumping all other health concerns" as you put it?

The pandemic has caused all sorts of shortages and supply chain issues, along with creating a backlog of other illnesses to deal with - which ignoring COVID and stopping testing wouldn't help with. Brexit hasn't helped either.

Try harder.

If we stop testing covid gets worse, as people infected keep spreading it. Testing keeps schools open longer and your pressure freedoms.

Goady or what

There's a global supply probable with the type if plastic used in manufacture.

One major supplier has been unable to source enough, and that has meant they are unable to fulfill orders. FDA gave a warning in US back in June about this. Brexit has of course not helped, but the basic cause - the plastics shortage, is not relatedness to that, and nor is UK the only country affected.

Similar nearly happened earlier in the summer over the specific type of glass used to make vaccine vials.

NHS does have more than one supplier, but stocks are being tested as a national asset, and even the most die-hard supporters if postcode lottery are not going to let patients in some areas of the country be impaired (or in worst case, die) for want of timely information from bloods when other areas are operating normally

I don't think it is specifically testing for covid but if people are ill they need blood tests doing to find out what is wrong and how they are responding to treatment.

Yes I realise that thank you.

Hmmm, if it's another reason (ie brexit) then why isn't it also affecting the supply of covid testing materials?

@musicalfrog

Hmmm, if it's another reason (ie brexit) then why isn't it also affecting the supply of covid testing materials?

Different manufacturers have different raw material needs, different workable alternatives different processes, different stock levels, different suppliers the list goes on. For all you or I know there might be but you’re comparing apples and oranges.

Right now there are shortages of many things globally for a whole host of reasons. Covid is one of them but there is a whole raft of circumstances at play.

I’m getting the impression you’re looking for reasons to get annoyed at the NHS prioritising covid over anything else which is ironic when you’re perpetuating that with this line of thinking. The world still has other issues besides covid.

@Cornettoninja I know that the NHS is overwhelmed right now not because of covid cases but because of people having put off medical matters last year so they are far worse now (needing inpatient rather than outpatient treatment). And overwhelmed because they can't afford to stop elective surgeries like they did last year because they are already so far behind.

I'm angry because covid STILL takes presidence over everything else. Constant testing and publicly announced case numbers are still causing undue anxiety in otherwise healthy people.

Yes I'm angry that people can't get blood tests which may allow them to get treatment sooner and prevent them needing hospital treatment in the future.

The NHS is very important to me.

Fair enough, but the lack of blood test tubes isn’t one of the issues caused by covid.

I’m well aware of the waiting lists, it’s affecting my household (cardiac and orthopaedic), but my anger is aimed at the government not at the NHS prioritisation of treating people in immediate need. We’re eighteen months in and now living with covid which will clearly present a strain on the NHS for a long time to come given our strategies. We need proper investment and expansion of services and to look at how we manage covid. Covid isn’t to blame, it could have been anything triggering the surge in demand long term and we’d be faced with the same issues.

It also isn’t a new problem. My local hospitals neurology department stopped accepting any referrals for a period of months a couple of years ago and tbh, from working in the NHS, it’s been the cancer service for a long, long time if you’re looking at the prioritisation and investment point of view. There are whole departments dedicated to making sure suspected cancers are dealt with as close to two weeks as possible. Everything else gets shunted to 18 weeks if you’re lucky and there’s resource. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t begrudge any cancer or suspected cancer patient but it’s a stark difference to any other condition that isn’t an immediate threat to mortality.

This is a really good graphic.

What’s the source of that @JS87? I’d like a good look but it’s a bit to pixelated on my phone so I’ll look it up 🙂

For all those ridiculing the OP’s question, this is exactly what the press are saying?!

www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/nhs-blood-vial-shortage/

Scientific laboratory supplies. I was emailed it though so not sure if it’s on their website.

Yeah keep grinding that axe. If you haven't got it by now, there's frankly no hope for you.

No there’s definitely an issue. My midwife had this on her screen today. I was supposed to get one to check my iron levels but it’s been cancelled.

Not to do with covid though.

[quote Bizawit]For all those ridiculing the OP’s question, this is exactly what the press are saying?!

www.medicaldevice-network.com/features/nhs-blood-vial-shortage/[/quote]
the press seems unable to use the word Brexit.

The shortage is a supply chain issue, a Brexit issue mixed with increased Covid demand.

Whisperings suggest the tip of the iceberg- thanks to Brexit.

GP here: the blood bottle issue is due to Brexit logistical issues, HGV driver shortage etc and is affecting England, Scotland and Wales. The rest of Europe and Ireland have no issues getting hold of the bottles. We were told to say it's a global issue, it isn't.

I still don't understand why brexit, driver shortage etc is not affected Covid testing materials. Nobody seems able to explain that.

It hasn't affected any of our swabs. We can still do sexual health screening and smears etc. They are made by a different manufacturer than the ones who make the blood bottles. The blood bottles are totally different from the tubes you put swabs in. Perhaps they'll be affected next, who knows.

Just doing a quick Google search, it looks like our Covid swabs are made in the UK