Hospital Blood Tests at GP Practices
Effective Date: Immediately.
Purpose
At Mistylaw Medical Practice, we recognise that patients find it more convenient to have all blood tests and monitoring conducted at their local GP practice rather than at hospital clinics. However, we must clarify the contractual and operational responsibilities of GP practices to ensure the sustainability and quality of our essential services.
Policy Statement
GP practices, including Mistylaw Medical Practice, are not contractually obligated to perform blood tests or other monitoring requested by hospital clinics, except under the specific terms of the Pre- Chemotherapy Phlebotomy (a contractual arrangement between GP Practices and the Health Board). Our phlebotomy services are designated exclusively for essential GP-initiated services, such as tests for cancer, thyroid conditions, anaemia, bowel disease, liver function, and kidney function.
Background
During the COVID-19 pandemic, GP practices, including ours, temporarily took on additional hospital monitoring services to reduce patient travel to hospitals and minimize the risk of infection. While this was a necessary and voluntary measure at the time, it has contributed to a misunderstanding that GP practices are responsible for ongoing hospital-requested services. However, the hospital requested blood tests fall outside our core contractual obligations.
Rationale
GP practices are responsible only for the work generated by their own clinicians. Taking on additional hospital-requested services without sufficient competencies, resources, or funding compromises our ability to deliver timely and effective care for essential GP services. In recent years, Mistylaw Group Practice has faced an unsustainably high workload, resulting in prolonged waiting times for our own diagnostic tests. Performing hospital-requested tests further delays access to critical GP-initiated testing.
Policy Decision
Effective immediately, Mistylaw Medical Practice will no longer conduct blood tests or monitoring on behalf of hospital clinics, unless explicitly covered under the GP Enhanced Services Programme.
Support
This policy is endorsed by the Local Medical Committee (LMC), reflecting a shared understanding of the pressures facing GP practices and the need to prioritize contractual responsibilities.
Patient Impact
We understand this may inconvenience some patients who have come to rely on our practice for hospital-requested tests. However, this decision ensures that we can maintain timely access to essential GP services, reducing delays for critical diagnostic testing. Patients requiring hospital-initiated blood tests or monitoring should contact their hospital clinic to arrange these services.