World shortage of blood bottles

I’ve just got a reminder from my Surgery for my blood tests on Thursday. Not heard of a bottle shortage.

It's been in the news...

Blimey, what next. My tests are routine, so perhaps I might get a text to cancel if they want to ‘save’ bottles.

I went to our local surgery in the week for annual blood pressure check which was supposed to include a blood test, they couldn’t do the blood test due to a National shortage of the bottle ms so just did the blood pressure measuring. They are only doing urgent blood tests,.

Is there a reason why they can't use a different supplier?

I imagine the Covid situation has increased the use of blood testing bottles by a massive amount. So I am not surprised there is a shortage. Equipment like this is very specialised and the increase in numbers manufactured will take a while to catch up.

DH got a similar text message yesterday.
It said that all blood tests were cancelled until 17th September.
And that if your blood test was urgent, you were to contact the relevant consultant.
As his blood test is urgent ( he needs it prior to a procedure), on Monday I’ll have to go through the inevitable rigmarole of being passed around departments.

JaneJudge

Is there a reason why they can't use a different supplier?

The message says that the problem is ‘global’.

Had 2 blood tests at local hospital yesterday, phlebotomist hadn't heard of any shortages.

Global, minus where MrsEggy lives

Blood test today no problem with phials.

As I have a blood test coming up on Friday ( and hearing on the news about the blood bottle shortage) I rang the surgery to enquire if the test was still ‘on’.....they said no, only priority tests until 17th September, and they couldn’t be sure even about that date. I then wondered aloud if they had been going to inform me about this cancellation, given that my GP is a 17 mile round trip away..... the answer ‘ oh am sure that we would’ ( I am not so sure at all.)