"Blood Room at the Northern General Hospital"

Due to the medication STHFT prescribes for my medical condition, I have to attend NGH blood clinic routinely to have my bloods taken.

The blood room opens at 8:30 am, which gives me sufficient time to get to my place of work across the city. Recently I arrived at NGH at 8:15 am, there were only four people there before me so I assumed I should be on my way to work by 8:40am (ish).

A phlebotomist arrived just before 8:30 am. She advised us that she did not have a key to open the door of the blood room and went off to try and find one from the outpatients reception desk. She then opened up the room, but then advised us that the people with keys to open up the cupboards that all the equipment, etc, was stored in were not due in until 9am! She did manage to take bloods from a couple of people by taking them round the corner from the waiting area to another area (which I did not see) but this took at least 10 minutes per person).

I was eventually seen at 9:10 am. When I sat down in the chair the phlebotomist asked me how I was that morning and I replied that I was fine, except for the wait. She replied "yes, that was my fault".

Although I would always expect to have a short wait, at no time was an apology given to any of us for this, what I can only describe as 'farcical' situation.

As a frequent user of this service, I can only say that it has really deteriorated over the past year which I think is possibly due to the merger of two blood rooms? .