Recurring concern
Failure to provide timely clinically required blood tests
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Request correctionFirst reported 25 Jul 2014•Latest report 7 Feb 2026
What this concern includes
Includes failures to arrange, collect, process or complete clinically required blood tests promptly, including delays occurring overnight, in emergency care or in prison healthcare, where the blood-testing delay can impair diagnosis, monitoring or treatment.
Not included
- Excludes non-blood diagnostic investigations, such as ECGs, imaging or urine tests, unless the assertion also specifically identifies a deficient blood-testing control.
- Excludes failures to communicate or act on blood-test results when the blood test itself was completed and made available on time.
- Excludes generic laboratory, staffing or communication deficiencies unless they directly cause delayed, omitted or unavailable clinically required blood tests.
- Excludes routine blood tests where no clinically required timeframe or safety consequence is identified.
- Reports
- 22
- Individual concerns
- 23
- Date range
- 2014–2026
- Stated actions
- 16
Distinct published reports
A report can raise multiple concerns
First to latest report issue date
Described in published responses
Reports over time
Reports over time
Reports about this concern issued each year.
* 2026 is projected from reports observed to 7 Sep 2026.
Most frequent recipients
Most frequent recipients
Reports about this concern sent to each recipient.
Concerns and responses across reports
Only concerns grouped under this recurring concern are included. Select any concern, action or position to view the source wording.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to provide timely blood testing for suspected infection in ambulance-held patients
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
The Care Quality Commission will provide a separate response to the concerns.
Stated by Department of Health and Social Care
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Concerns raised1
Failure to carry out regular blood tests
This report raised 11 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Enforce the hospital discharge and clinical follow-up procedure, including review, action logging, GP confirmation and management audit.
Stated by Premiere Health Limited
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Concerns raised1
Unavailability of blood tests and imaging in Urgent Care Centres
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to complete D-dimer testing during pulmonary embolism investigation
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.3
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Action
Held cross-departmental discussions to review and optimise pulmonary embolism screening and triage systems across patient groups.
Stated by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Undertake an audit of pulmonary embolism pick-up rates against recorded Wells scores and D-dimer use, including appropriateness of scoring-system application.
Stated by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Trial and evaluate for six months a process escalating unapproved CTPA requests to the duty radiologist, with requester contact when further information or investigation is needed.
Stated by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
Respondent positions A position is what a respondent says about the concern when they do not describe a specific action.1
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Position
The Trust considers management reasonable and says earlier D-dimer or CTPA would not probably have changed the outcome.
Stated by Milton Keynes University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Delays in obtaining the first blood gas
This report raised 21 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.1
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Action
Expand sepsis education and training through dedicated sepsis nurses, protocol-adherence monitoring and bi-monthly sepsis meetings.
Stated by North West Anglia NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure to obtain and retain contemporaneous blood testing results for high-risk or deteriorating patients
This report raised 15 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.2
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Action
Implement the OBS UK obstetric bleeding care bundle covering risk assessment, quantitative blood-loss measurement, escalation, and rapid clotting tests.
Stated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Audit obstetric bleeding-strategy compliance and review postpartum-haemorrhage cases to feed learning to governance and national study teams.
Stated by Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Failure of clozapine services to provide annual physical-health blood testing
This report raised 2 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
Actions described in response An action is something a respondent says it has done, is doing, or plans to do in response to the concern raised.4
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Action
Operationalise blood sampling in Mid and North Hampshire Clozapine clinics using equipment, blood transport arrangements and a staff rota.
Stated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Develop systems to identify required blood tests, record completed samples, optimise patient records and track results for Mid and North Hampshire Clozapine clinics.
Stated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust -
Action
Review variation in service provision across Clozapine clinics and use the findings to inform improvement.
Stated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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Action
Establish consistent principles across Clozapine clinics for annual health-check capacity, preferred onsite blood sampling and robust results-review systems.
Stated by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
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Concerns raised1
Delays in urgent blood sample delivery and reporting
This report raised 14 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Lack of urgent sickle cell trait testing for previously processed non-UK selection candidates
This report raised 18 other concerns. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
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Concerns raised1
Failure to perform a guideline-compliant blood test for Endocarditis
This report raised 1 other concern. They are not shown here because they do not form part of this recurring concern.
Responses linked to these concernsEach statement is shown once, even when linked to more than one concern.
No linked response statementsNo respondent-stated action or position is linked to these concerns in the published data.
Data last updated 7 September 2026