Blood testing services in Wanstead - update

We are committed to providing high quality phlebotomy (blood testing) and physiotherapy services for the people of Wanstead.

Unfortunately, the boiler in the unit we use for blood testing at the Old Wanstead Hospital has stopped working. When taking blood, staff must be able to comply with infection control responsibilities like being able to thoroughly wash their hands, so we are temporarily asking patients to attend Whipps Cross Hospital’s outpatients area 1 instead.

We immediately escalated the issue to the owners of the building, NHS Property Services, to get the problem fixed as soon as possible.

Having now investigated the issue, NHS Property Services advised that it would be better for patients to explore the possibility of using the adjoining building (the Galleon Unit) at Wanstead for phlebotomy and physiotherapy services. Galleon Unit is in better physical condition and would provide a better experience for staff and patients, while safeguarding these facilities in Wanstead.

We are therefore working together with NHS Property Services and the local Clinical Commissioning Group to rapidly work up this solution. This involves doing some final checks on the adjoining building and the relevant paperwork. We hope that it can be resolved in the next month and believe that spending this additional time will lead to a better service for our patients.

In the meantime the phlebotomy staff are working from Whipps Cross Hospital to ensure there is the same resource for patients to access and physiotherapy services are continuing at the unit.

We can assure patients that this is a temporary issue and there are no plans to stop offering these important services at Wanstead.

We apologise for any inconvenience caused and are working closely with the local Clinical Commissioning Group and NHS Property Services to resolve the issues as soon as possible.