Newbury Hospital poor service this week, From Blood takers department! Options

[gel]

Normally getting blood samples taken at West Berks/Newbury hospital involves a
wait of around 30-40 minutes, and the staff have a blackboard up showing what current waiting time is.
You just roll up and can't make bookings.

Yesterday morning (Th 12th) it was an unacceptable 2 hours due to "staff shortages" we were told.

As many having blood drawn have to fast from night before,
so there's at least 12 hours of abstinence, as it were,
some will have found themselves to start feeling a bit weak.

As many there are obviously ill/elderly, the powers that be,
really need to address; staff there claimed it's been like this since New Year.


NHS need to have more respect for other peoples time in my opinion.

[TallDarkAndHands...]

Normally getting blood samples taken at West Berks/Newbury hospital involves a
wait of around 30-40 minutes, and the staff have a blackboard up showing what current waiting time is.
You just roll up and can't make bookings.

Yesterday morning (Th 12th) it was an unacceptable 2 hours due to "staff shortages" we were told.

As many having blood drawn have to fast from night before,
so there's at least 12 hours of abstinence, as it were,
some will have found themselves to start feeling a bit weak.

As many there are obviously ill/elderly, the powers that be,
really need to address; staff there claimed it's been like this since New Year.


NHS need to have more respect for other peoples time in my opinion.

See if your GP surgery nurses take blood. You might find it less hassle.

[Andy Capp]

Normally getting blood samples taken at West Berks/Newbury hospital involves a
wait of around 30-40 minutes, and the staff have a blackboard up showing what current waiting time is.
You just roll up and can't make bookings.

Yesterday morning (Th 12th) it was an unacceptable 2 hours due to "staff shortages" we were told. ... NHS need to have more respect for other peoples time in my opinion.

A pretty poor service if one's needs require the blood being taken first thing in the morning.

[JeffG]

Yes, it was much worse than usual. I took a gentleman there yesterday for a blood test just before midday when it's usually a bit quieter. Not much fun for those waiting, but I had time for an excellent lunch - sweet chilli chicken with roast potatoes for £3. The chef there is pretty good.

[dannyboy]

maybe if we all paid more tax .....

[gel]

See if your GP surgery nurses take blood. You might find it less hassle.

Unfortunately Downland Practice has not had a blood lady for some time, and no
current plans to get replacement.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

I agree, I have been to Newbury Hospital before when I broke my finger. I was sat there for about 3 hours before I was even seen and then after being told I had a broken finger (which I already knew) I was told to go to Reading Hospital to get a cast.

Additionally I had some blood tests when I was about 15 and it took about 2 hours. I had Glandular Fever at the time, trust me that was not pleasant.

Not so good as a hospital, not bad for a small restaurant, it seems.

[Strafin]

If you had a broken finger (and knew it) surely a trip straight to casualty would have been a better choice?

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

Had it had been on my own time, yes - I agree. Unfortunately for me it happened at work which meant I had to go straight to the closest hospital at the time, health and safety init. It was like 2 and a half years ago now and I worked down Hambridge Road then.

[Strafin]

I don't think it's fair to criticise the hospital for that though.

[On the edge]

The old hospital had a far wider time bandwidth. Not all Doctors surgeries in Newbury take blood - so the Hospital is still needed. The reduction in customer service (vis time taken and time bandwidth is nothing to do with funding. Its down to management. Yes, I have complained, twice, and had the same answer. We are looking into making improvements. There is no really effective customer champion and the NHS is a national sacred cow so people are reluctant to complain. Its not a free service after all - we do pay. National Insurance and Tax, indeed rather a lot. Its often said that the NHS has too many managers. Actually, it hasn't enough....good ones that is!

[gel]

The old hospital had a far wider time bandwidth. Not all Doctors surgeries in Newbury take blood - so the Hospital is still needed. The reduction in customer service (vis time taken and time bandwidth is nothing to do with funding. Its down to management. Yes, I have complained, twice, and had the same answer. We are looking into making improvements. There is no really effective customer champion and the NHS is a national sacred cow so people are reluctant to complain. Its not a free service after all - we do pay. National Insurance and Tax, indeed rather a lot. Its often said that the NHS has too many managers. Actually, it hasn't enough....good ones that is!

agree; if there was competition in the health service, we would use an alternative!

[Andy Capp]

The old hospital had a far wider time bandwidth. Not all Doctors surgeries in Newbury take blood - so the Hospital is still needed. The reduction in customer service (vis time taken and time bandwidth is nothing to do with funding. Its down to management. Yes, I have complained, twice, and had the same answer. We are looking into making improvements.

How do you know this is just down to management? If it is, at what level?

[user23]

agree; if there was competition in the health service, we would use an alternative!

There is competition in the provision of health services.

Here's a couple of examples http://www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/ and http://www.bupa.co.uk/.

[Biker1]

There is competition in the provision of health services.

Here's a couple of examples http://www.bmihealthcare.co.uk/ and http://www.bupa.co.uk/.

Rubbish!

That's not competition.

So if I choose one of these I can stop paying NI and tax contributions to the NHS can I?

[NWNREADER]

I'm not aware of any UK private medical care facility offering drop-in A&E, outpatient service, etc. All the private services I know of have cherry-picked the manageable sections - they know almost to the minute how many patients they will have and how many staff they will need.

Drop-in services mean 'reasonable' numbers have to be present throughout regardless of demand - which could be nil.

As for the lack of phlebotomists at Newbury, I don't know enough of the overall situation to know whether it is bad management or an unavoidable outcome of some other eventuality.

[Strafin]

If on that particular day they had allowed someone holiday, and were one short but planned in advance, and the rest knew they were picking up the extra, and then one of those team members went sick - they would be two down and struggling. It happens all over the place all the time. Now if it was every day that this was happening that would be different but this seems; from the postings here so far, not to be the case.

[On the edge]

How do you know this is just down to management? If it is, at what level?

Simply because I've taken the trouble to discuss the matter with them on two separate occasions - as mentioned in previous post. The percentage allocation of funds to this basic operation has remained unaltered. The only thing that differed locally was the move to the new premises. This was coincident with centralising certain services in Reading, but in this case, no one could come up with a sound reason for doing that.

I'm not sure what you mean by level - perhaps you are mistaking the term management for supervision?

[Andy Capp]

I'm not sure what you mean by level - perhaps you are mistaking the term management for supervision?

NHS management starts from the Health Secretary down.

[Guest_xjay1337_*]

I don't think it's fair to criticise the hospital for that though.

I think you missed the point. It does not take 3 hours of waiting for a 15 minute consult to tell me I have a broken finger. Members of staff at the reception should be able to tell and would be if they were trained in anything other than "gossiping" and "typing patient details really slowly on the keyboard".

And as I said the 2 hour wait in a relatively empty hospital (probably 3 or 4 other people in the waiting room) for a 5 minute blood draw was not acceptable. I mean ******** I could have given them blood to "take away" but oh no "must be taken with a needle sir...".