Changes to blood test requests made by the Hospital

Dear Patients,

We want to inform you of an important change that may affect the delivery of your care.  This is in relation to blood tests requested by the hospital. We understand that this may cause some inconvenience, however due to the increasing demand for GP services and ongoing NHS funding challenges, GP practices across the country, including ours, are having to make difficult decisions. One decision is to no longer provide blood tests requested by hospital specialists. Starting from the 15th February 2025, Albany Surgery will no longer be able to offer this service

Currently, many patients attend Albany Surgery for blood tests requested by their hospital specialists. These tests allow your specialist to monitor your condition and ensure you receive the best possible care. Unfortunately, the funding provided for this service is poor and has not kept up with rising costs, therefore we are no longer able to continue offering this service without affecting our ability to provide care to our 10,100 patients.

If your hospital blood test is part of monitoring and medication covered by a shared care agreement between your specialist and your GP, then we will continue being able to support you.

We understand this change may cause disruption. However, you will be able to book blood test appointments directly with the Phlebotomy Service at Torbay Hospital by calling Telephone 01803 655544, Monday to Friday 8am to 4pm.

For any blood tests requested by your GP, we ask that you continue to book and attend any blood tests appointments in the usual way.

We want to reassure you that this change is part of a wider effort being implemented by GP surgeries across the country facing similar challenges. Some practices have already been forced to close or hand over services to private providers due to ongoing NHS underfunding. By taking this action, we hope to ensure the long-term sustainability of our practice and continue offering you and all our patients the high-quality, personalised care that you deserve.

We sincerely hope that, despite any inconvenience, you will support us in this necessary change to secure the future of our practice.

We appreciate your understanding and patience.

Kind Regards

The Partners at Albany Surgery