Enter and view: Chorley Hospital Blood Clinic

Healthwatch Lancashire undertook an announced enter and view visit to Chorley Hospital on 9 December 2024 to understand how the services are provided and cope with winter pressures.  They spoke to 20 people.

During the visit, the blood clinic became very busy at times, but patients were being seen very quickly and efficiently with limited wait times. Patients were observed to be waiting no more than ten minutes, with most patients being seen as soon as they walked into the clinic. 

Staff were observed coming out to patients and asking them to come through for their blood test. They made themselves visible and ensured patients knew where to get the tickets from. Patients were observed to be coming into the blood clinic taking a written ticket from a box near the machine and sitting down with ease. Only a few patients were unsure where to go and what to do when entering the clinic. 

Overall patients were very happy with the new clinic and preferred the new location over the old one. They commented on the clear signage and how they are seen very quickly. Patients spoke about how easy it was to find and how they are seen so quickly that they don’t need to worry about paying for parking. A few patients mentioned issues with the audio alert display, as the usual one was broken at the time of the visit. However, this has been addressed by staff at the clinic. 

Overall staff were complimentary of the blood clinic and explained that they always feel staffed appropriately. They explained that at busy times they were able to bring staff from the ward to assist in the clinic. Staff mentioned how they work well together and get patients seen as quickly and efficiently as possible. Some queries raised by staff were around the ticket machine and also communication with gp practices as they find that gp’s are still sending patients to Chorley even though they only accept urgent walk ins and not general blood tests.