Blood test service to close at Princess House in Shrewsbury
Patients will no longer be able to have blood tests in Shrewsbury town centre with users asked to visit the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital instead.
The phlebotomy service provided at Princess House located in The Square, Shrewsbury will close on 26 April.
From 1 May, GP patients who have previously used Princess House in The Square will be asked to attend Elizabeth House based at the RSH, which already provides walk-in phlebotomy clinics.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust (SaTH) provides the town centre phlebotomy service to around 300 patients a week. That includes morning appointments for Riverside and Claremont Bank GP Practices, as well as an afternoon walk-in service for all Shropshire GP patients.
The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust explained that the contract with Shropshire Community Health Trust to use a room within Princess House had come to an end due to unexpected costs. The two GP surgeries are unable to accommodate the service, and SaTH has, at present, been unable to find an alternative community location.
Extra space at Elizabeth House at the RSH has been made available to accommodate additional patients. The two phlebotomists at Princess House are employed by SaTH and will relocate to Elizabeth House.
The walk-in centre closure will come as a blow to patients who regular use the town centre location, many who must have regular blood tests while taking anticoagulant medication such as Warfarin.
Royal Shrewsbury Hospital parking fees have recently increased with only a 20 minute grace period before a charge of £3.00 is imposed.
Sheila Fryer, Support Services Care Group Director at SaTH, said: “We are reluctantly having to take this action as a result of the end of the agreement with the Community Health Trust to use this location to provide a community-based service. Unfortunately, it has not been possible to identify an alternative location, although we remain keen to work with healthcare partners, should an alternative location become available in the future. We apologise for any inconvenience that this may cause.”
Patients who use the phlebotomy service at Princess House are asked to contact their GP Surgery or PALS at the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital if they have any questions.
