Shropshire nursing boss: Blood-taking service in Shrewsbury to relocate next week

Next week will see the trust’s phlebotomy (blood taking) service at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital (RSH) relocating to nearby William Farr House.

The last patients will be seen at Elizabeth House at RSH tomorrow.

The relocation is due to the ongoing construction works for an exciting new four storey hospital expansion as part of our Hospitals Transformation Programme (HTP) and we would like to assure you that we are doing all that we can to minimise disruption.

I would like to thank patients for understanding while the phlebotomy service move takes place from Elizabeth House to William Farr House at Mytton Oak Road, Shrewsbury, SY3 8XL. Blood tests will take place at the new location from Tuesday, August 27.

At the new location, there will be additional, larger clinical rooms with convenient parking for patients provided outside the building. There are also bus stops on the main road for patients using public transport.

Signage will be in place directing patients to William Farr House for their blood tests. The online booking site – Book a blood test online – SaTH – is now taking bookings for blood tests at William Farr House from Tuesday, August 27.

We would also like to apologise to those patients who are facing longer waits for planned orthopaedic surgery at Princess Royal Hospital (PRH) in Telford.

The trust is doing all it can to resume the surgery and we will announce a date for it to resume as soon as possible.

The work involves a complex set of ward moves to provide a suitable environment for patients to recover following elective orthopaedic procedures.

Whilst the service is paused, we are working with other providers to offer suitable patients the opportunity of having their surgery at an alternative location, but this may not be possible for all patients who have more complex clinical needs.

The August bank holiday weekend will soon be upon us and we are urging people to ‘Think which Service?’ they need should they require medical help.

Our emergency departments (ED) are extremely busy but more so during bank holidays, so it is crucial to know which local health service to use and when. It will ensure that you will get the right help at the right time should you need any health care.

EDs are for genuinely life-threatening emergencies – for example chest pains or severe bleeding or burns. If you have a life-threatening illness or injury, please continue to dial 999.

If you have an urgent but not life-threatening medical need over the bank holiday, please visit www.111.nhs.uk. NHS 111 online is available to signpost people to the best option for their care needs – it can provide the most appropriate local treatment option for medical issues, saving an unnecessary trip to the ED.

You can find out more about the services available on the Think Which Service website.