Urgent Requests

All requests for Blood and Blood products must be telephoned.

Requests received without an accompanying phone call will NOT be processed. It is the Clinicians responsibility to contact the duty Biomedical Scientist.

Urgent requests for Blood or Blood products must be accompanied by the pink transfusion request form.

All requests for urgent Biochemistry and Haematology must be accompanied by the yellow urgent request form. The bright yellow colouration permits easy identification of urgent investigations amongst routine tests and helps avoid unnecessary delays. It is not necessary to telephone for urgent Biochemistry and Haematology requests between 07.00hrs and 01.00hrs provided a yellow urgent request form is used.

All other urgent specimens are accepted at all times subject to prior arrangement by telephone only by contacting the laboratory or on call BMS (via switchboard, Telephone 0). Do not just send the specimen to the laboratory, as no one may be there 'out of hours' or it may not be noticed for hours or even overnight.

Important telephone numbers

Urgent requests should be restricted to occasions where they are essential for the immediate management of the patient.

The authorising doctor should be clearly indicated in the request form (legibly, not just initials) together with the Bleep number.

Note BMS staff may refer unusual requests for urgent test calls to the Duty Pathologist. (eg LFT).

List of Urgent tests

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