Having a blood test

Please call 01722 336262 Ext 2270 or 5281, 01722 425270, Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00, to organise your child’s blood test. This is now undertaken on Children’s Outpatients, Level 3.

Please note: Parents must have the appropriate blood forms from their GPs as we are unable to do any blood tests without these forms.

Children aged five years old and above who require a blood test can attend the drop-in service (Monday to Friday, 8:00 to 5:00pm) within the Pathology Department alongside adult patients, no appointment is required. Please note that there is no specific paediatric waiting area in the department and Paediatric medical and nursing staff will not be in attendance for these appointments.

Any child under five (or anyone over five for whom attending the pathology department may be inappropriate, such as a child with additional needs or severe needle phobia, will be accommodated in an ad hoc Paediatric Phlebotomy Clinic. These are undertaken within our Children’s Outpatient Department. These clinics will be run by a Paediatric Junior Doctor or Paediatric Nurse, with a play specialist in attendance whenever possible. Patients will be seen by appointment only in these under-5s clinics (i.e. this is NOT a drop-in service).

If your child’s consultant or GP has asked you to arrange a blood test, parents should call 01722 336262 ext 2270 or 5281, or direct line 01722 425270, to make the necessary arrangements (telephone lines open Monday to Friday, 09:00 to 16:00) if they need to be seen in the under-5s clinic.

If the blood test has been requested by your GP, please bring the blood form to your appointment as we are unable to access the forms from the hospital and will have to turn patients away without them. 

If your child requires local anaesthetic numbing cream (e.g. Ametop) please ask your GP to prescribe this in advance so that it can be applied at home (using cling film over the backs of both hands) at least 20 minutes prior to your appointment time. An information leaflet is available here. ‘Cold spray’ will be offered at the clinic appointment if Ametop has not been applied prior to the appointment.