Industrial action: Phlebotomy (blood samples) services

Last updated: 30 May 2025

Who can still have blood tests at the hospitals during Industrial Action?

What Phlebotomy (blood samples) are available?

Patients are advised to have blood samples taken at their GP surgery unless they meet any of the criteria below:

• Oncology, Haematology, Cancer or critically urgent patients will continue to be covered within Edward Jenner Unit (EJU)
• Certain blood appointments for children under the age of 6 or up to the age of 16 where the child has additional needs. This is a by-appointment service only; please call the Paediatric Outpatient Department at GRH on 0300 4228383 to arrange an appointment
• There will be a limited service hot clinic phlebotomy service located at both Cheltenham General Hospital Outpatients and Gloucestershire Royal Hospital Outpatients. This will provide a service limited to:
  • Patients who require diagnostic blood results for an appointment within the next 2 weeks
  • Patients where bloods must be taken on a certain date/time as part of a treatment pathway (such as Oncology, Haematology, Cancer Pathways, Biological drug therapy that requires blood tests to monitor or receive the drug therapy)
  • Patients that require specialist/ complex bloods such as time-dependent, or require special treatment based on the integrity requirements of the sample/ test type
  • Patients who are considered vulnerable or have mobility issues

Industrial action dates

The following periods of industrial action have been declared by UNISON:

• Monday 17 March to/and including Wednesday 19 March
• Monday 24 March to/and including Thursday 27 March
• Monday 31 March to/and including Friday 4 April
• Monday 7 April to/and including Saturday 12 April
• Monday 14 April to/and including Sunday 20 April
• Monday 21 April to/and including Sunday 27 April
• Monday 28 April to/ and including Sunday 4 May
• Monday 5 May to/and including Sunday 11 May
• Monday 12 May to/and including Sunday 18 May
• Monday 19 May to/ and including Sunday 25 May
• Monday 26 May to/ and including Sunday 1 June
• Monday 2 June to/ and including Sunday 8 June
• Monday 9 June to/ and including Sunday 15 June

How are phlebotomy (blood samples) services affected by industrial action?

Patients who have an appointment at either CGH or GRH during periods of industrial action should attend as normal unless they hear from us directly to advise otherwise.

However, there will be no phlebotomy service/ blood samples taken (using a needle) in outpatients at West Block, Cheltenham General Hospital, Edward Jenner Centre, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital or Quayside Community Diagnostic Centre (CDC) during industrial action.

If you are attending an outpatient appointment and are required to give a blood sample, the team will either perform this within the clinic or reschedule an appointment outside industrial action periods.

Alternatively you can present as a walk-in patient to the phlebotomy service, again outside periods of industrial action.

We will, of course, continue to take bloods (using a needle) throughout periods of industrial action across other services such as emergency care where our clinical teams regularly provide this care.

We would like to apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Community Phlebotomy services

From Tuesday 22 April, the following phlebotomy services in community hospitals may have capacity to take bloods - please telephone to make an appointment

• Cirencester 0300 421 6215
• Forest of Dean 0300 421 8757