The Blood Sciences department is situated within the Pathology department in suite 9 at the Chesterfield Royal Hospital. The service aims to provide a comprehensive routine and emergency diagnostic service. The department is a consultant-led service with scientific and technical laboratory staff.
A list of all our accredited tests can be viewed by visiting the UKAS website.
The following tests are performed by the Haematology and Coagulation Department on blood taken into BD Vacutainer EDTA or citrate anticoagulated samples:
FBC
Nucleated RBC
Peripheral Blood Smear Morphology
Reticulocyte
ESR
Glandular Fever
Sickle Cell Screening
PT
APTT
Clauss Fibrinogen
D-Dimer
INR
Heparin Ratio
The Biochemistry section of the Blood Sciences department provides numerous biochemical tests for various biological samples including blood, urine, faeces and cerebral spinal fluid. Common biochemical tests include:
Urea and Electrolytes
Liver Function Tests
Troponin T
Lipid Profile
Tumour Markers
Therapeutic Drug Monitoring
Endocrine Investigations
Instructions for transportation of samples
Samples should be sent to the laboratory with minimum delay. Delays in sample delivery to the laboratory can compromise the accuracy of many results. Where blood serum is required for routine analysis, centrifugation should occur within 6 hours. Samples more than 6 hours old look normal but may already begin to show increasing potassium and falling glucose concentrations.
If the container is undated, the reported results may be grossly misleading. Always put the time and date the sample was taken on the request form.
Specimen labelling
The sample must be clearly labelled with a minimum of the patient’s surname, forename and one of the following three items; hospital number, NHS number and date of birth.
These details should exactly match the information supplied on the request form.
This is to allow the unequivocal identification of the patient. If this minimum requirement is not met this may lead to sample rejection.
The sample should also be labelled with the location and the date/time the sample was taken.
For medico-legal and safety reasons unlabelled or mislabelled specimens must always be repeated where possible.
The Blood Sciences Department operates a 24-hour, 7 days a week service for urgent requests.
The opening hours for routine work are:
Monday to Friday
09:00 – 17:30
Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays 09:00 - 13:00
Outside these hours, including weekends the Clinical Scientist can be reached via the main Hospital switchboard on – 01246 277271.
Haematology
If Consultant Haematologist advice is required, please consider if the enquiry is urgent or non-urgent:
For non-urgent advice. On weekdays 09:00-17:00 please wait until after 14:00 then contact the hospital switchboard on 01246 277271 and ask for the on-call Haematology consultant. GPs can also use the Consultant Connect service.
Alternatively, non-urgent patient-related queries can be sent to the following email address: cabadviceandguidance@nhs.net
Urgent Advice
On weekdays09:00-17:00 contact the main hospital switchboard on 01246 277271 and ask for the on-call Haematology consultant. GPs can also use the Consultant Connect service.
Contact out of hours is via the hospital switchboard and ask the on-call Haematology consultant.
01246 277 271
