More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
The way patients have their blood tested is changing.
Medway NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the service at Sheppey Community Hospital in Plover Road, Minster, has introduced a new booking system.
It follows complaints that patients had to queue outside in the cold and wet for hours because Covid regulations did not allow them to wait indoors.
The new system has been widely welcomed by users although it caused confusion at first after it was introduced with little fanfare.
One patient, who did not want to be named, said: "I witnessed confusion over people turning up for blood tests. Evidently, you have to book now which might not be a bad thing but the problem is people are not being told until they turn up and see the poster on the door.
"The chap on the door came out with the classic 'They put it on the internet' excuse but 5.5 million UK citizens do not have access to the internet. One lady arrived on a bus and had to stand at the bus stop for an hour to return."
Before the pandemic, patients had to walk in, take a supermarket-style ticket from a machine and wait their turn.
Cllr Cameron Beart (Con, Queenborough and Halfway) said: "Pre-booked appointments are far superior to turning up, waiting for hours and hoping you are seen. The change is a positive one. The real issue is that they didn't notify anyone of the change in advance."
Shane Morrison-McCabe, divisional director of operations at the health trust, said: “Following feedback from patients over the winter, we recently moved from a purely walk-in service to a partial advance booking service for blood tests.
"This means fewer people need to wait outside before they come in for their blood tests while still maintaining a safe environment while the pressures of Covid-19 are still with us.
“We have let patients know about this directly through leaflets and signage at the unit as well as through local GPs. The feedback has been very positive. We will be moving to an entirely bookable service from Monday, May 10."
He added: “We apologise to any patients who have found queueing inconvenient. We encourage them to book a test slot directly by calling 01634 974036 so they can avoid queueing unnecessarily.”
