Is there a two-tier service for Suffolk blood tests?

The East Suffolk and North Essex Foundation Trust (ESNEFT) which runs Ipswich and Colchester hospitals offers patients very different waiting times for blood tests on opposite sides of the River Stour.

While appointments can usually be arranged in Colchester and Harwich within a day or two, people often have to wait two to three weeks for an appointment at Ipswich Hospital or the health centre in Landseer Road.

There can be long waits for blood tests at Ipswich Hospital.  (Image: Sarah Lucy Brown)

Now the trust is looking at arranging more tests - possibly with evening sessions - in an attempt to reduce waiting times.

Ipswich businessman Mark Ling said he found there was a two to three week wait when he was asked to arrange a blood test in the town.

Mark Ling is frustrated by what he sees as a two-tier service for blood tests. (Image: Lucy Taylor)

He said: "This is something that seems to have got worse in the last year or so - you used to be  able to just turn up and they'd see you.

"Now we have to just look at the website all the time to see if there's a cancellation - but if you  look at the places at Colchester and Harwich you can book for later the same day or the next day.

"It feels as we have a two-tier system between Suffolk and Essex patients."

Another patient said he needed to rearrange a blood test after a scan was delayed because of a technical issue in Ipswich.

He said: "I needed a blood test that was taken within a couple of days of the scan. There was no availability in Ipswich so my wife and I decided to have a day shopping in Colchester, stopping off at their primary care centre on the way.

"That was no problem for us. We have a car and it's not far off the A12. But it wouldn't be an option if we didn't have our own transport - or we lived somewhere the other side of Ipswich like Leiston or Framlingham."

Local GPs' surgeries also offer blood tests - but in many cases the waits there are even longer than those at Ipswich Hospital or Landseer Road.

Dr Tim Leary is interim Chief Medical Officer at ESNEFT. He said: “We are doing everything we can to provide as many appointments as possible for blood tests.

“There is an extremely high demand for this service in east Suffolk. We apologise to anyone who’s had a long wait or has had to travel out of the area for an appointment.

“Our teams are looking into how we can increase the number of slots so we can improve patient experience. This includes running later clinics, for example.

“We do offer blood tests at Colchester Hospital for those people who are able to travel. However, we understand this isn’t always possible or appropriate for everyone.”