In accordance with NHS England guidelines, it is best practice for clinicians to request patients to undertake regular blood tests if they are on any medication or have underlying health problems. Regular blood tests are required to assess our patients general sate of health and in some cases, certain medications require regular blood tests to ensure they are still safe to take. This enables the clinicians to provide the best possible treatment and care resulting in a better quality of life.
Our Patients Services Team are constantly chasing our patients to ensure they have had their blood tests undertaken. As you can imagine, this is very time consuming and the resources could be used elsewhere.
If you are having problems with accessing a blood test please contact us on 01933 233200 (after 09.30) so we can see if we are able to assist.
Many patients do not wish to have a blood test and as a result they are putting themselves at risk of possible complications such as heart attacks, kidney or liver failure. If you wish to refuse a blood test, please let the Practice know and we can make a note of this on your health record. The decision not to have a blood test will impact our ability to care for you and in some cases medications may have to be stopped if the clinician is not able to safely prescribe in accordance with NHS Guidelines.
Information regarding blood tests can be found at https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/blood-tests/