Blood tests

• FAQ's for a child blood test
• FAQ's for adult blood tests
• How to cancel an appointment

Phlebotomy sites for adults and children aged 10+ are provided by BSPS - a joint venture between Ashford and St. Peter’s Hospitals, Frimley Health, Royal Berkshire, and Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Foundation Trusts

Please see the FAQ's for child blood tests for information about bringing a child for a blood test, including details about the use of numbing creams. 

How to cancel an appointment

Please note appointments are for routine blood tests only. For urgent blood tests the requesting clinician will contact the FHFT paediatric team.

Paediatric blood test sites are provided by Frimley Health

• How should you prepare a child for attending?

Make sure they keep warm and drink plenty of fluids (water only if it's a fasting test). If you / the child are anxious, you can apply local anaesthetic / Emla cream or its equivalent to both inner elbows 90 minutes before the test; please see information about this below.

• Do I need to bring any paperwork?

If you were given a printed form by the GP or other staff member that requested the test, at some locations we'll need you to bring this with you. See the notes next to the booking links for each location. 

• Should I book a paediatric (10 and under) or a 10+ appointment for a 10 year old?

Either is fine! If your 10 year old is nervous, a paediatric appointment may be best - but book whichever appointment suits you and the child. 

• Information on the use of numbing creams for children

It is recommended that any child over 1 month of age is to be offered a local anaesthetic cream prior to their procedure. This helps to reduce pain caused by the insertion of the needle. Your GP can prescribe anaesthetic cream, or you can buy it over the counter at a pharmacy.

The places suggested to take blood or cannulate include the back of both hands and inside both elbows (antecubital fossa). The healthcare professional taking the blood will select the best site when your child is in the blood test centre.

The local anaesthetic should be applied to all four areas: back of both hands and the creases of both elbows, prior to the procedure.

It may be necessary to apply the cream to the top of the feet if there have been difficulties obtaining blood in the past. We recommend that you do not leave the cream on for longer than the suggested time as this gives no further benefit. Cream should NOT be applied to broken skin or wounds, or if the child has active eczema.

Please do not let your child lick the cream. If this happens, encourage them to drink plenty of water and call 111 if you are concerned that they have swallowed a large amount.

Approved creams application times

Where and how to apply the cream

1. Apply a pea-sized amount of cream to the back of both hands and inside of the elbow in the crease. DO NOT RUB IN.
2. Cover with the dressing supplied. If you do not have a dressing, wrap 3 layers of cling film around the areas, ensure the cream is covered.
3. See table above for the suggested time the cream needs to be in place. Please do this before coming to the hospital as it will delay other patients if applied at appointment time, and you may be asked to re-book.
4. After the suggested application time, your nurse will remove the dressing and cream and will locate the best spot to take blood or insert cannula.
5. Cream should not be left on for longer that the stated time as this can cause irritation and will have no benefit to the procedure.
6. The areas will remain numb for up to 4 hours.

• What should an adult patient do before attending?

Please drink plenty of fluids (water only if you were advised to fast) and keep warm.

• Do I need to bring any paperwork?

If you were given a printed form by the GP or other staff member that requested the test, at some locations we'll need you to bring this with you. See the notes next to the booking links for each location.

Cancelling an appointment you can't make helps us use resources effectively and helps other patients.

To cancel an appointment with less than 24 hours to go, or if your appointment was booked by phone, please contact us using the details on this page.

If you booked online, and it's more than 24 hours to go before the appointment, you can cancel using the 'Swiftqueue' appointment system. You can do this by logging in to your account. 

Swiftqueue help with booking a blood test.

The time for tests to be done can vary depending on the type of test, whether it needs to be sent to an external lab, and the urgency with which it was requested.

Your clinician may also need to release the results for viewing after they have reviewed them.

• Routine tests are typically returned within a week.
• Other tests may take longer.

If you have not received your results within a week and are concerned, please contact the clinician who requested the test.

Where to see your results

Tests requested by Frimley Health clinicians

If tests have been requested by any Frimley Health clinician, patients are encouraged to register for MyFrimleyHealth Record where they'll be able to view results. If a patient is unable to access MyFrimleyHealth Record themselves, they can grant permission for a friend or relative to access it on their behalf.

Tests requested by your GP or other external clinician

These are made available through the NHS app or website.