Pathology – Phlebotomy & Specimen Reception |
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| The Phlebotomy service is provided by the Pathology department at the Great Western Hospital, Swindon. We provide a team of “in house” trained Phlebotomists, performing venepuncture on adults and, after further training, paediatrics. The department is responsible for providing a service to in-patients, and in a dedicated and appropriately equipped department, to out-patients. We aim to be a model of excellence in the delivery of our service. In order to achieve this, we maintain a highly skilled and trained workforce, who are totally patient focused. We take blood samples, on average, from 140 in-patients and 120 out-patients on a daily basis. We are situated in Blood Tests, which is located on the 3rd Floor adjacent to the Atrium lifts.
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PATHOLOGY
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In this section: |
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Contact Thedepartment is part of the Pathology Directorate of the Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust. The postal address is: Phlebotomy Department Telephone contact numbers:
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Service Availability The out-patients department is open from 0830 to 1615 between Monday and Friday (excluding Bank Holidays). Patients are seen in order of attendance, where possible. We do have a commitment to prioritise certain categories of patients, and some patients require tests at specific times. Patients with request forms from their own GP and patients who are being monitored by the anti-coagulation department (Yellow Book Patients) are no longer seen in the department and must attend their own surgery or the walk-in centre in Carfax Street. The in-patient ward rounds are undertaken between 0730 and 1145 (Blood samples from this service need to reach the laboratory by 12.00) between Monday to Friday (with a restricted service on weekends). See also the Phlebotomy service handbook. |
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Paediatrics Any child under the age of 16 years will be seen by one of our paediatric phlebotomists in the out-patients department. We do ask that the patient be booked in advance, as some children (especially under 3 years old) may still need to have the procedure undertaken by a paediatric doctor. Our staff can make this decision at the time of booking. |
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Difficult to Bleed Patients We are, of course, ever willing to assist in obtaining samples from patients who are proving difficult to bleed by our colleagues in other areas of the hospital, but we do ask that these patients be booked prior to arrival. If the patient is from a GP Surgery, and the request is from their own doctor, then these patients must also book in advance, and also must be in possession of letter from the surgery indicating the difficulty. |
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Patients Requiring Tests at Specific Times If a patient requires a test at a specific time of day (e.g. 09.00 Cortisol), it will assist the department if these patients could book in advance, as this enables the department to offer a realistic estimate of waiting time for other, routine patients. |
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Request Forms All patients must be in possession of a valid request form. The request form demographics MUST include the patient's full name, address and date of birth and the department making the request. It should also be signed. Please note: inadequately completed request forms can result in the patient not being bled for legal reasons. ALL REQUEST FORMS MUST INDICATE THE TESTS REQUIRED AND EACH OF THE FOUR PARTS OF THE FORM MUST HAVE THE PATIENTS DETAILS CLEARLY READABLE. |
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Booking Patients Patients who meet the criteria for a booked appointment can ring the department on 01793 60 50 41, between the hours of 09.00 and 12.00. |
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