Corby blood test patients forced to 'stand in the rain' due to social distancing

Patients waiting for blood tests at Corby path lab are are being forced to stand outside in all weathers with no seating in order to socially-distance.

Several people have complained to reporters after having a long wait at the phlebotomy clinic at the health complex in Cottingham Road in the pouring rain. Many are concerned about elderly people who have been told they cannot have seats.

One service user told our reporters that it had taken her 55 minutes in the queue to get into her appointment.

She said: "They have a marshall informing people about mask-wearing and when asked for chairs she said they were not allowed.

"The exit out of the building takes you back along the path beside the queue I had to walk on the grass to properly distance. It will only get worse in the snow."

Kettering General Hospital’s haematology manager, Mike Silverstone, said: “We apologise to all Corby phlebotomy patients who are having to wait for longer than normal for their appointments during the pandemic and we are working to resolve this issue.

“The main reason for this is because social distancing guidance means only a few patients can wait in our small clinic waiting area which means we must ask most of our patients with walk-in blood test appointments to wait outside and stand two metres apart for safety reasons.

“We are looking to introduce a new appointment booking system – similar to the one we use at our clinic at Kettering Borough Council – where people have a specific time for an appointment (rather than the current open walk-in appointments) and can attend five minutes before, and we are very close to being able to introduce this.

“In the meantime we would like to please ask local people to be patient and bear with us – and also to please be polite to our teams who are working hard to see people as soon as we can. The system may appear slow but it is important to remember that we need to carry out necessary cleaning and changes of personal protective equipment between patients.”