Solihull Hospital’s phlebotomy service, currently located on the first floor of Boots in Mell Square, is set to move to a new, larger location to better accommodate high levels of demand.

The blood testing service has proved popular with patients, with the team seeing more than 1,000 patients each week; and as a result the site has now been deemed inappropriate for an ever expanding service. The waiting room area has struggled to accommodate the larger volumes of people arriving at one time, and the first floor location is lacking a lift for those unable to take the stairs.

The service, which will remain completely unchanged, will move to premises within the Solihull Hospital site on Lode Lane, where a more spacious area has been identified. This will provide a more comfortable and relaxing environment for patients to wait to have their bloods taken and give the phlebotomy team more room to expand the services.

Erica Loftus, head of operations, said: “Following feedback from our staff around the space issues for the phlebotomy service in Boots, we decided to undertake an in-depth review to ascertain what would be the best move for our patients and the service. We are confident that moving the phlebotomy service across to the larger location will really benefit service users. The move will boost waiting times for patients whilst the speed and  flexibility of the service for those stopping by for a blood test will remain the same.”

The Boots outpatients’ service, in partnership with Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust which runs Solihull Hospital, was opened in January 2010.  The Trust also offers small physiotherapy, acupuncture, pain, ophthalmology and dermatology services from the Boots, Mell Square site.

These services will also transfer back to the Hospital site alongside the phlebotomy service on Tuesday 1 October 2013.