North Middlesex urges Turkish-speaking patients to save themselves up to two hours by booking their blood tests ahead of time
Patients referred to North Middlesex hospital for blood tests are being urged to beat the queues by booking their appointment online.
Hundreds of people, including many from the Turkish-speaking communities, are referred by their GP every day for testing to the Edmonton hospital’s outpatients’ department.
But patients have found they wait for up to two hours if they arrive without an appointment, the hospital said, while those who have booked ahead of time are usually seen within 10 minutes.
A new service introduced earlier this year means patients can visit www.northmid.nhs.uk/Our-Services/Blood-tests to reserve a blood test appointment.
The hospital said in a statement: “Patients who walk in without an appointment can still have a blood sample taken but they will join a queue of other patients with no appointment and may have to wait for up to two hours at the busiest times, so booking an appointment in advance can prevent a long and frustrating wait.
“Around 800 people a day use the GP blood tests service at the hospital in Sterling Way, Edmonton.
“A team of expert staff, known as phlebotomists, take about five minutes each to take each patient’s blood sample and complete the paperwork before the sample is sent to a pathology laboratory for analysis.”
Bookings can also be made over the telephone by calling 020 8887 2366 during office hours (9am-5pm, Monday to Friday).
North Middlesex is one of the busiest hospitals in London and widely used by Turkish and Kurdish speakers, particularly those living in Edmonton, Enfield and Tottenham.
