London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Wednesday, Oct 22, 2025

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests

GP staff facing abuse from patients over cancelled blood tests

Cancellation of all but clinically urgent blood tests in England owing to shortage of bottles sparks anger
GP surgery staff are facing abuse from patients who are “angry and upset” that their blood test has been cancelled because of the NHS-wide chronic shortage of sample bottles.

“Patients are angry when we ring them up and say, ‘Sorry we can’t do your blood test after all’. A lot of people are quite angry and concerned about their own health,” Dr David Wrigley, the deputy chair of council at the British Medical Association, said.

“Patients are quite rightly upset and some get quite aggressive as well. They are worried because they don’t know what the implications of their cancelled test are for their health.”

Wrigley said patients were also anxious about the cancellations of the flu jab, as the Guardian reported last week.

GP practices in England had begun cancelling appointments because the NHS’s main supplier could not deliver stocks as planned for one to two weeks because of “unforeseen road freight challenges”. Staff were “exasperated” to be on the receiving end of such hostility, he added.

Wrigley, a GP in Lancashire, tweeted last week: “My surgery staff are at their wits’ end. Due to the blood bottle shortage having to cancel ‘non-urgent’ tests. When our staff call patients they are getting abuse and anger directed at them. This is NOT our fault.”

NHS England has responded to the shortage of blood sample bottles by telling GPs to cancel all but clinically urgent blood tests and hospitals to cut back the tests they do by at least 25%. The sudden lack of them has arisen because Becton Dickinson, the NHS’s main supplier, is unable to make promised deliveries.

It has blamed that on a number of factors including unprecedented demand, “transportation challenges” and a two-week shutdown at its factory in Plymouth.

While Wrigley stressed that only a minority of patients were responding with hostility to hearing their blood test had been cancelled, “with flu cancellations on top this creates more antipathy towards general practice, when [these shortages] are totally out of our control. Patients are rightly anxious and upset about cancellations.”

NHS England has told GPs and hospitals to severely limit blood tests until 17 September. However, fears are growing that the shortage will continue into the autumn. Cardiff and Vale University health board wrote to staff last week warning that it might run out of sample bottles due to “the criticality of the urgent national supply issues of blood sampling collection tubes”.

It added: “This urgent stock issue is expected to extend into November, and based on the organisation’s typical usage of these products the current stocks available to us will not be sufficient to met demand.”

Becton Dickinson has brought in 9m bottles from the US as an emergency measure to alleviate the situation and handed them over to the NHS. However, it is not clear when they will be distributed and in what numbers. It has also boosted production in Plymouth by 20%.

A spokesperson for the firm said: “We expect the situation to stabilise and recover through September, based on the volume of tubes we are supplying to the NHS.”

Wrigley said GPs had been put “in a very, very difficult situation” by now having to decide which patients get a blood test and which do not. While some tests can be delayed fairly easily, delaying others – such as to decide what medication someone is on for a long-term condition – could pose a risk to the patient.

An NHS spokesperson said: “NHS staff should never be subjected to verbal or physical abuse for doing their job and the NHS will not tolerate abuse, aggression or violence.

“While Becton Dickinson has confirmed the current global supply issue will mean constraint will be temporary, it is vital that GPs and hospitals continue to follow the guidance until further advised, so patients with the most urgent need can be sure of a test.”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
×