Phlebotomy services at Cranham Health Centre
There have been rumours circulating recently, concerning the continuation of phlebotomy (blood test) services at Cranham Health Centre, Avon Road. Residents’ Association councillors enquired with the appropriate authorities and have received the following reply from the Havering Clinical Commissioning Group –
‘A case for change for a new phlebotomy service model is going to the Integrated Care Executive Group meeting in May. The plan for this year long pilot, beginning in July, includes flexing sites according to demand.
At the moment the number and location of phlebotomy chairs for the start of the pilot is still being worked through. Piloting this new model will enable us to seek the feedback from patients, residents and stakeholders that we have not been able to gather over the past year due to Covid-19.
We are working closely with local partners around engagement and reaching those whose voices we need to hear to help inform the new service model.
Please do rest assured that all feedback will be carefully considered and the service shaped accordingly. We are of course striving for the best geographical coverage we can, taking into account capacity and distribution of chairs. Once the pilot begins, all of our stakeholders will be kept up to date with plans and progress.
Given the importance of stakeholder feedback to ensuring the proper mapping of demand to capacity, I shall ask whether HealthWatch would be prepared to monitor the pilot and to feedback their findings to the Health & Wellbeing Board.’
Residents’ Association councillors will forward any new information, including how to take part in any survey, when we have it.
And in simple English this means??
My mum is 86 years old in Cranham Village. She has had to get a taxi to the blood test phlebotomy in Harold Hill, which is so expensive but has no other way to get there. So please for a disabled person who needs blood test can this be considered when asking our precious elderly to keep phlebotomy blood tests in Cranham.
Alternatively can she be put onto the community nursing home visits for these.
We always use this clinic for feet care and having blood tests x
Can we please get this place going. It’s very good for the residents to have somewhere local to go to. It’s very useful for everyone around.
This service in Cranham is vital as the next nearest is Elm Park or Harold Hill, both of which need a car. There’s not much Healthcare in Cranham or Upminster as it is. I need a blood test every 6 months for my hospital Consultant
Please consider leaving it at avon Road as there are many older people in this area who need for it to be local.
As most doctors do not give the service of taking blood in their surgery the public of Cranham and Upminster rely on the Cranham health centre phlebotomist.
The Avon Road phlebotomy service has always been in high demand. Why is it necessary to close it while a pilot is performed? Where are those who have no personal means of tranport supposed to get their blood tests in the meantime? Local GPs do not tend to offer this service – maybe some of them could while the pilot is in progress?
This proposal, which I agree could be explained in plainer English rather than the gobbledegook above, will remove a vital service for local people.
What has happened to Care in the Community, I thought the whole purpose of building these larger clinics was that patients could access services such as blood tests, chiropody, physiotherapy locally, not to travel half way across the borough where there there are no adequate transport links i.e. to get to Harold Hill which I think they might be proposing would taken over an hour and two buses, believe it or not, not everyone has access to a car and to take a taxi would be too expensive for many residents.
Don’t fix what ain’t broken.
The Clinic should remain open for blood tests. It is always very busy and sometimes I have had to wait a few weeks to get a blood test. Everything seems harder to do. I do not wish to sit in a queue on the walk in days. Mind you not sure whether this is available now. Just leave it alone, you can’t keep blaming Covid 19 all the time.
Please either keep the Centre open for blood tests or introduce them in individual doctors’ surgeries.
It’s beyond understanding why people from Upminster and Cranham travel elsewhere ( with very inconvenient public transport) to have them done.
In simple English this means
They are paying lip service to appear to appease the local residents when in fact it’s window dressing and they will do what ever saves the most
Please think about the old people of which I am one who do not drive who live in Cranham and would need to take three buses and then a long walk if it relocated in Hardold Hill.
I am a pensioner living in Cranham and with limited mobility. I have to have a blood test every 3 months because of a certain medication I have to take for RA, OA to name just 2 of my conditions and doctor would possibly be reluctant to prescribe meds without test. Cranhan clinic has been a godsend to me over the years and during the lockdowns had to get special appointments for blood tests which was a nightmare especially the journey. I also relied on the foot clinic pre covid and had to pay private for that in between lockdowns
So… who are the partners that they are working closely with? “We are working closely with local partners around engagement and reaching those whose voices we need to hear to help inform the new service model.”
Secondly ,if this is some sort of consultation with “stakeholders” where and with whom is the feedback being sort and why isn’t it being publicised?
All very disappointing for local people in Cranham and Upminster,.
Sad emoji 😔
Cranham is CRANHAM and we need the medical centre facilities her in Cranham.
The people performing the survey haven’t a clue what it is like at the medical centre. It is essential that a fully operational medical centre is provided in Cranham.
What’s the population of Cranham?
This centre has provided an essential service for Cranham. The blood test facilities are essential and are extremely busy, if you take away this service, you are just pushing it to another area which will become overburdened with an influx of Cranham residents.
Corpo speak for we are closing it when we like.
Please do not take this away from us
Cranham health cents is a vital part of our community including and especially the blood test floor
We need this
I have always used Cranham Health Centre for blood tests 2, 3 or 4 times a year.
Both myself and my wife are pensioners and have to have regular blood and urine tests that are not
carried out by our GP surgery, we always use Cranham Health Centre. Please reconsider not moving the facilities away from Cranham unless one can be opened at our GP practice. We really do need this Centre.
What iis the justification for even considering removing this vital facility? The attraction of selling the site for more flats? If that is the case the health authority must make that plain.
Dear Mrs Connaughton,
This post was from May 2021, and things have moved on since. I believe that following the results of the pilot scheme, there are no plans to stop providing Phlebotomy services at Cranham Health Centre.
Kind regards
Cllr John Tyler