Becton Dickinson Blood Specimen Collection – Supply Disruption Briefing From The South East London ICS
for taking blood tests in the NHS.
The updated guidance was issued to hospitals, community and
primary care on 26 August 2021, with further information available on NHS England’s website.
It is important to stress that anyone who needs a test for urgent health problems, will still get one
but where their clinician recommends that it is safe to do so, then people may be asked to come
back for a more routine test at a later date, or their appointment may be rescheduled.
Given the international nature of the shortage, an exact date for when routine testing will be
restarted cannot yet be provided, but where a patient’s condition or symptoms require it, then they
will get a test. The NHS will be working to re-book appointments for postponed tests when supplies
become more easily available.
Patients are being advised that where their condition or symptoms change or get worse, they should
contact the NHS team caring for them. NHS England has issued lines to support NHS staff to have
conversations with the public where concerns are raised.
Throughout this period, the NHS in south east London will be working together to minimise
disruption to patients, as well as ensuring that anyone requiring an urgent blood test gets one
quickly. Referral requests that have been made in the last few days will be respected and no
cancellations will be made unless the referring practice has reviewed the referral and deemed it to
be non-urgent. Any new requests made from now on will be assumed to be urgent, in line with the
national guidelines issued on 26 August.
Paediatric blood tests are not affected by this issue.
