"Blood Test"

The staff, both the receptionist and nurse, were very friendly once I got into the waiting area for the blood test, however I was appalled by the long wait to be seen (over an hour), bearing in mind this was standing along corridors. I was fortunate because I was one of the last to be allowed in, however, I was shocked to hear the reception just call out “no more after this lady” from the waiting room at 5:20pm. Most people didn’t hear her as many were queuing round the corner. They hadn’t taken any names/DOB/NHS numbers from anyone after ‘this lady’ so must have had some idea the rest weren’t going to be seen. It would have been nice to have warned them, rather than let them stand there with false hope.

I appreciate it’s busy, but this would have been a some gesture which would have been appreciated by many.

Having experienced these queues on many occasions, I wondered if appointments had been considered in the trust. I have just relocated from another trust where an appointment system was in place and you rarely waited more than a couple of minutes.

I reiterate the 1:1 conversations I had with the staff were all very friendly and they were very accommodating for me personally.