According to media reports yesterday, NHS is cancelling all non essential blood testing due to
a shortage of blood test vials !!
How could this happen ??
What is NHS purchasing department doing ??
Sounds like penny pinching to me, surely it couldn’t be due to negligence could it ??
Reports suggest that the situation could last untill November !!
Donkeyman! 
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Sorry, DM, I never saw this, I expect Azz will merge mine with yours, you started a minute before me,
Yes, I can’t get a blood test at my doctors, I’m hoping to get one at the hospital, but unable to get through at the moment.
What about those who need a blood test in an emergency, I’m sure those would be covered ,at least I hope they are.
What would be classed as non-essential blood tests I wonder? If anyone is told to have a blood test by their doctor/nurse then surely it is essential?
Mine I believe isn’t an emergency,DM, it’s just to do with high calcium levels, which I believe is ok at the moment as he wrote me out a high dose of vitamin D, prescription,last blood test was ok, but he wanted another one after my bone density scan.
Still can’t get through to the blood testing unit at Guildford hospital, I bet their inundated with calls, if this is the case in many surgeries.
@pauline3 What are you sorry about Pauline ? You must be one of the first to be affected by this ?
Just shows the depths we have descended to imo, you couldn’t make it up could you ??
Good luck with your tests
Donkeyman! 
I am sure there are many affected by these shortage of test tubes, DM, not just me…I don’t think I’m the first affected, apparently it was on the news, which I knew nothing about.
I bet many are affected by this…
Yes just read about the shortage of tubes but apparently being resolved as we speak, have to say when I was in hospital month before last after the stroke they had though RUN out of fine/small needles and used medium which did hurt a bit but then they ran out of medium as well so used large Oh boy -Ouch, the next day we were back to normal thankfully.
Hi
Donkeyman, thanks for this.
I did mention this previously in another thread, but you are getting far more support than I did.
Thanks for this, it is important.
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Surely if you need a blood test SF, you would be seen straight away?..with your heart condition?
@swimfeeders Oooer,l must have missed your post Swimmy ?
Sounds like hospital management is going down the swannie to me.?
Kazz’s post confirms it !!
Donkeyman!
Hi
Pauline, you are presuming I have a reasonable GP, in fact I have one the worst rated GP Surgeries in the UK.
Just reading on Sky news that tens of millions of tubes have been secured with nine million available to the NHS this week, so hopefully the panic should be over…
Sorry Missed it too.
AFAIK, this is the latest news:
Becton Dickinson (BD) - which makes blood test vials for the NHS - is ramping up imports to try to alleviate serious shortages of test tubes.
The firm told the BBC it has received “exceptional use authorisation” from UK authorities to import blood tubes that are already approved for use in other countries, such as the US.
BD said it has increased production capacity in the UK by 20%.
The firm will deliver 9 million blood tubes to the NHS this week.
Doctors have been told to stop most blood tests until 17 September, while hospitals have had to cut the total number of blood tests by a quarter.
The tests put on hold include those given to patients to diagnose fertility, allergies and pre-diabetes.
@Donkeyman @pauline3 @swimfeeders
I think as per normal with the news that we get its a bit retrospectively ie after the horse has bolted.
As I say it was highlighted to me in June and the phlebotomist who I saw when I asked which needle he would be using after the large needle OUCH said small for your veins Halleluiah as we chatted he said in the last 18 months he now regularly took in one week more blood than he did over 6 weeks pre covid. So you can see where the increase has come from he said this was recent the hiccup he called it.
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Thanks for that Kazz, much appreciated…the hospital has just rang me, as I left a message on their answer machine.
She asked me to read out what it said on the blood test form, when I did she said it’s not an emergency, to ring back in a couple of weeks time,
so obviously it won’t be done which is fair enough,emergencies are the priority.
@Omah looks like the crisis is over then Omah ??
Let’s hope so ! Just a glitch in the " just in time " delivery system plus a slack re- ordering system ?
Apparently aKazz had the same problems with hypodermic needles so it seems the reordering
system needs a good kick up the arse ??
Donkeyman!
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As you say, let’s hope so … 
Most months, I have a blood test and 500ml drawn off (with the BIG needle) to keep my iron levels down … 
Until the nurse told me no small it would be a medium needle I never considered the difference then came back later an said need more and said no medium or small got to use large and OUCH have to say it took ages as well normally really quick.