Shropshire Star

Telford hospital patients waiting hours for blood tests

Patients are waiting up to three hours for blood tests at Telford's Princess Royal Hospital, health watchdogs said today.

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Now officials at Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin are seeking the views of those patients in a bid to improve the service.

Healthwatch has created a survey following concerns that some people were waiting too long for GP appointments or for hospital tests.

Kate Ballinger, Healthwatch Telford and Wrekin manager, said: "We have had evidence of people waiting as long as three hours, although I believe the situation is not as bad as that at the moment. People are obviously concerned, especially now that parking charges at the hospital have increased.

"It's about what the patients think. This is completely in response to issues raised by members of the public and it is the first time we are going out to ask specific questions about a specific issue.

"We will feed all the information back so the people will see what our findings are. We will give feedback to practice managers at GP surgeries, the Clinical Commissioning Group, which commissions blood services and information will be on our website."

Dag Saunders, chairman of Healthwatch, added: "We are here to find out the experiences local people have of their local NHS and social care services and to feed back those experiences to bring about improvements for everyone.

"Some patients seem to have an excellent local service while others do not."

The survey is available online at www.healthwatchtelfordandwrekin.org.uk/phlebotomy-survey and copies will also be distributed to GP surgeries. Paper copies are also available from the Healthwatch offices at Meeting Point House in Telford town centre or by telephoning (01952) 739540.

The survey will run until January 17.

Alongside the public consultation, Healthwatch members will be visiting GP surgeries to collect information regarding services available.

Mr Saunders said: "We are always keen to hear from local people about the good experiences as well as where things could be improved."

For further information about the survey, Healthwatch or to find out about any volunteering opportunities, contact manager Kate Ballinger on (01952) 739540 or 07803 028107.

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