Understanding Your Blood Test
You have been referred by your GP for a blood test. This guide will tell you about the procedure
What is involved?
The vein on the inside of your elbow or the one on the underside of your wrist is usually used for taking blood samples. We will put a tight band around your upper arm to make the vein fill with blood. This makes it easier for us to take the blood sample.
We then clean the skin over the vein with an antiseptic wipe and put a needle into the vein through the cleaned skin. The needle is connected either to a syringe or directly to a blood sample bottle.
When we have taken the amount of blood we need, we remove the needle. We will ask you to press on the small wound with cotton wool for a few minutes to stop the bleeding and prevent bruising. We may also put a plaster on the wound.
Are there any side effects?
Sometimes a bruise develops where we put the needle in. This is much less likely to happen if you press over the site with cotton wool for several minutes with your arm kept straight (not bent). Very rarely, as with any wound, an infection may develop where we put the needle in. See your doctor if the wound site becomes red and swollen. Some people can feel faint during a blood test. Tell the person doing the test if this happens to you.
When you arrive
When you arrive you will hand over the request card from your GP and our staff will explain the procedure to you and answer any questions you may have.
As this is a walk in service you may have to wait for your test to be done. At busy times this could be quite a long wait – we will tell you what the approximate waiting time for the test will be.
The examination
Once we have taken a sample of blood, we will send it to a laboratory for analysis.
How long will it take?
Taking a sample of blood usually takes about five minutes.
How will I get the results?
The doctor who referred you will receive the results of your blood test from the laboratory. You should telephone your GP to confirm that they have received your report before arranging an appointment, unless the doctor has made different arrangements with you. Do not telephone this hospital for results as the blood sample is sent straight to the lab and they issue the results directly to your GP.
Giving your consent for the procedure
The information in this leaflet will give you an idea of what is involved in your blood test. Before any medical procedure can be performed, the healthcare professional carrying out the procedure will let you know what to expect. It is your right to be given all the information you need to make an informed choice about whether you want to go through with the procedure or not. Please feel free to ask any questions.
You only need to consent to having this test verbally.
Further information
For further information, please contact the Patient Referral Centre on 0844 581 0300, or visit our website at www.inhealthlondon.com
About InHealth (London)
We are a leading independent health-care provider and we provide X-rays, scans and other tests on behalf of the NHS. We are committed to helping GPs meet their 18-week 'referral-to-treatment' waiting-time targets by providing various tests and scans locally to help GPs make a diagnosis as quickly as possible. GPs are able to refer you directly to us for tests so you won't need to attend a hospital outpatient appointment. We will send your test results to your GP so that they can decide whether you need to see a hospital specialist. For more information, please visit our website www.inhealthlondon.com or contact us as shown below:
Patient Information Line: 0844 581 0300
Email: londoninfo@inhealthgroup.com
How to Complain
If you have a complaint about any part of the service you have received from us, you can do one of the following.
1. Discuss it with the Unit Manager during your visit.
2. Call our Customer Care Team on 0844 581 0300
3. Write to the Quality Manager, InHealth London, Beechwood Hall, Kingsmead Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP11 1JL.
4. Use the NHS complaints procedure on the Department of Health’s website at:
www.dh.gov.uk/PolicyAndGuidance/OrganisationPolicy/ComplaintsPolicy/fs/en.
We welcome your comments about our service. We recognise that the way we monitor and handle complaints reflects the quality of our service and represents an opportunity for us to continuously improve.
When we are handling your complaint, we promise to:
• be accessible – you can contact us to check on the progress of your complaint;
• be impartial – we will treat every complaint fairly;
• be responsive – we will reply to you as soon as we can, and let you know if there will be a delay; and
• respect your confidentiality.
We will attempt to sort out your complaint as soon as possible after receiving it. We will usually acknowledge written complaints within 48 hours of receiving them, and send you a full reply within 20 working days of your complaint. If we cannot sort out your complaint within 20 working days, we will tell you what progress we have made and why there has been a delay.
A complaints handler will deal with your complaint. If you are not satisfied with their reply, you can ask for your complaint to be referred to the Operations Director. If you have any other questions or you would like a copy of our customer complaints policy, please call our Customer Care Team on 0844 581 0300
We have a number of sites which perform scans and tests. Directions to all of them can be found here.
