Haematology

The department also provides services to specialised regional centres such as the tri-county Oncology centre at Cheltenham General Hospital and the Women’s Centre at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital; as well as supporting the county’s two busy Accident and Emergency departments.

The department processes urgent samples twenty-four hours a day, employing an emergency out of hours service which ensures a state registered Biomedical Scientist is available at all times. The staff of the Haematology department are an integral part of the medical team providing care for the patient. This dedicated team of staff works to high and exacting standards and are committed to providing an excellent, high quality service which is delivered in a timely and appropriate fashion 365 days of the year.

The tests and services provided by the Department of Haematology have a wide range of clinical implications, including the diagnosis and monitoring of both benign and malignant haematological conditions, along with the impact of other medical conditions and their treatments on haematological parameters. Support for the advice and interpretation of results is provided to clinicians and medical staff.

For GPs

Clinical Referrals

Patients can be referred by GPs via the E-Referral System

Non-urgent advice or queries

• In the first instance, please refer to G-Care for any clinical haematology queries,
• If you cannot find the answer to your question, please submit your query via advice and guidance
• Alternatively, if you would like to speak with a specific Haematology consultant about a patient under their care, please contact our Secretarial team by email ghn-tr.haemadmin@nhs.net

Urgent clinical advice

The only indications for urgent advice (if the diagnosis is unclear or the management pathway needs discussion) – please ensure that you have reviewed any film comment first which often details advice.

• Severe anaemia (haemoglobin <70g/L) without haematinic deficiency
• Severe neutropenia (neutrophils <0.5x109/L)
• Severe thrombocytopenia (platelets <20x109/L)
• Suspected haematological cancer not meeting 2WW criteria

Patients who are acutely unwell and not previously known to haematology should be should be admitted via the acute medical take.

For the indications above, we would encourage referral via an urgent Advice and Guidance request but if concerned, then please contact switchboard by calling 0300 422 1000.

Between 9am to 5pm switchboard will bleep the Haematology Registrar (Bleep 2050 for Gloucestershire Royal and Bleep 1150 for Cheltenham General), between 5pm and 9am switchboard will contact the on-call Consultant Haematologist.

Tests, investigations and samples information

General test information is available from Lab Tests online.

Information about sample requirements and reference ranges for given haematological investigations can be found in our investigations database pages.

Information concerning the expected variation that normally occurs in test results within Haematolgy, Immunology and Blood Transfusion can be found in our Measurement Uncertainty page.