Phlebotomy survey
Download (PDF 1.41 MB)Summary of report content
Healthwatch Richmond upon Thames undertook research into the needs of patients attending blood test appointments. They were approached by Kingston Hospital to assess the patient experience of a pilot project via a survey. The aim of the initiative is to simplify the phlebotomy booking process as well as the results process for patients and clinicians alike. In total, 190 people responded to the survey.
The survey offers some granularity on what patients are looking for while booking a blood test appointment.
● People are interested in accessing blood tests at their GP practices or practices in their immediate neighbourhood.
● Nevertheless, there is very limited awareness of phlebotomy outside of Kingston Hospital within the sample.
● Location and travel play key roles in decisions around phlebotomy appointments. People are unlikely to travel more than 15 minutes.
● Cost and the time of travel arose as major obstacles. Without having a specific question about it in the survey, many concerns about the parking situation in Kingston Hospital were raised including the lack of parking spots, the time it consumes to look for a parking spot, and the cost.
● Patients want to access phlebotomy appointments across a range of times and days. Uptake of phlebotomy at GP practices is dependent on providing broad access.
● A considerable amount of unsolicited praise for the phlebotomy service at Kingston Hospital emerged. Many comments described the service as outstanding from an organisational, skill and human perspective.
The report contains recommendations.