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Care Opinion

Please modernise warfarin clinics in Leeds

Posted By Pilot900

"Please modernise warfarin clinics in Leeds"

About: Leafield Clinic / Family Planning Clinic / Anticoagulant

(as the patient),

I must say I was more than surprised to find when I moved to Leeds in 2006 that the warfarin clinic at Leafield use the old-fashioned method of taking blood. Depending who inserts the needle (and a few can be rather painful) a nasty bruise is caused. In Lincoln County hospital now, one receives just a prick in the tip of one's thumb. The result of the test then comes up on a little machine when the sample is inserted. Your result is written down in your yellow booklet (sadly dispensed with now in Leeds). If there is any change, then one goes into the Dr next door who adjusts the warfarin treatment accordingly. Why can this method not be used at the warfarin clinics in a big city like Leeds? I hope Leeds clinics can install these machines some day soon.

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Responses

Response from Patient and Public Involvement Lead, Leeds PCT 15 years ago
Leeds PCT

Submitted on 26/11/2008 at 12:30
Published on Care Opinion at 00:00

Thank you for taking the time to share your comments about the Warfarin Clinics in Leeds. I am sorry to hear that your blood test was painful.

NHS Leeds (Leeds Primary Care Trust) works with Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust to deliver the Warfarin service. The blood tests and any changes to doses are carried out by the hospital in their laboratories.

As you mention there are other ways of taking blood tests. However, the policy in Leeds is to take a blood sample as this is seen as the "Gold Standard" method. The blood sample is then analysed in the laboratory at the hospital and the result and any change in dose is sent straight away to the patient and their GP.

In Leeds an A4 size report is issued instead of the yellow book. This is to remove risks of writing incorrect information into the yellow book or using printed labels.

Thank you once again for your comments, these have been shared with the relevant staff.

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