"Urgent Bloods - Ticket lottery!"

I write regarding my visit to the Blood test department today at 9am which has left me feeling extremely stressed and anxious leading to a flare-up of my condition and subsequent vomiting upon leaving Phlebotomy.

For the second time I was given a red Urgent blood test bag request and was told I would not need to queue upon arrival.

I arrived at approximately 9am on 10/03/16 at waited at the front of the department.

Within 30 seconds a nurse appeared from behind one of the curtains and indicated to their colleagues that there was a red bag waiting.

The next nurse exited the curtain and questioned when my appointment was to which I replied I think tomorrow at 9am.

They then told me I would have to pick a ticket and wait.

I politely explained that was not what I had been told and that I needed to jump to front of the queue as instructed by the issuing nurse.

I was then told I was not urgent and again needed to sit and wait.

I explained that I hadn’t made any arrangements to wait and would need to leave and miss my blood test and subsequent appointment.

This made me very stressed and anxious and it started to have an immediate effect on my condition.

The Team Leader, then appeared from behind the curtain and I had to again explain that I had been told that I was to go to the front.

I explained that the process was causing me stress and I was acting on the instructions given to me.

Again I was subjected to further questions about my condition in front all the waiting patients of which I felt that the staff was making a judgement on the importance of the blood request.

This baffled me as the Team Leader explained that a red bag isn’t an automatic queue jump and that the process had been abused in the past.

I explained I had neither knowledge, nor involvement in any abuse of such a procedure and rather that stress the patient, it might be more appropriate to clarify the process internally. In the end they agreed to take my blood but not after I had to explain my position and given instruction 3 times all in front of the other patients.

This process was very stressful and caused my condition to worsen resulting in vomiting and severe stomach pains.

Please could you clarify this process with the hospital and communicate the procedure to the patient in an attempt to manage not only the physical but also the psychological impact of any treatment needed by the patient.