New Phlebotomy Department Opens at Royal Free

A new phlebotomy department opens at Hampstead's Royal free hospital today.

    Patients requiring blood tests in the hospital would potentially have to visit one of two floors of the hospital, with four blood booths on the ground floor, and six on the first floor. An inconvenience for patients and staff alike.

    As of today, the 10 blood booths will be on the ground floor of the hospital. They will provide blood tests for outpatients from 7:30am to 5:30pm Monday to Fridays and 9am to 1pm on Saturdays. The hospital is providing leaflets to help patients find the new department, whilst staff will be on hand to point patients in the right direction.

    Kate Slemeck, executive director of operations at the Royal Free, said: "We are delighted to be able to provide new purpose designed facilities to patients who come to the hospital to have their blood taken. This is one of the busiest departments in the hospital and having a split site facility has been very unsatisfactory for both patients and staff. The new facility is easier to access as it is on the ground floor and will allow us to see patients more quickly and efficiently, in much more comfortable surroundings. Staff from the two areas will come together in one place for the first time and they will have much more space in which to work. We hope that by consolidating the two facilities, patients will have much shorter waiting times when they come to the hospital for blood tests."