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Made me feel a bit uneasy

Posted By dizzysunglow

"Made me feel a bit uneasy"

About: Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust - Queen's Medical Centre Campus / General medicine

(as the patient),

I have my blood drawn fairly regularly here and it is usually fairly good. However the last 2 times I have gone, the phlebotomist didn't sterilise my arm before drawing blood which made me feel a bit uneasy especially as I am immunocompromised right now.

At first I had a trainee and I thought that was why but even when someone else had to come over they didn't clean my arm either. I don't know if this is hospital practice but I would think especially with someone who is immunosuppressed you should clean the skin before piercing it.

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Responses

Response from Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust 7 years ago
Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Submitted on 05/04/2017 at 14:46
Published on Care Opinion at 15:27

Thank you for getting in touch with your feedback. I understand your concerns. However, I hope I can offer some reassurance. It is hospital policy that we don’t clean skin when taking blood unless the skin is visibly dirty. The reason for this is that the cleansing solution, if not dry properly, could affect the results and could lead to infection. Staff should be wearing gloves for the procedure to avoid infection.

If there is anything you would like to discuss further or if you have any other concerns please don’t hesitate to contact me directly on 0115 924 9924 ext. 62932 or email aquiline.chivinge@nuh.nhs.uk.

Best wishes,

Aquiline Chivinge.

Ambulatory Care Pathway Matron,

Outpatients, Phlebotomy, Pain Management and Hospital Hotel.

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