Pathology: Information for Patients

Laboratory Opening Hours

The Pathology Department reception desks are open:

Cheltenham General Hospital

• Monday to Friday: 8.30am – 5pm
• Saturday and Sunday: Closed
• Bank Holidays: Closed

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

• Monday to Friday: 8.00am – 5pm
• Saturday and Sunday: Closed
• Bank Holidays: Closed

Getting your test results

All test results must be obtained from and discussed with your GP or the hospital team that is caring for you. The laboratories cannot discuss treatment, give test results or any personal information directly to patients or patient's relatives.

This also applies to any enquiries about your treatment regarding blood transfusions.

For information about blood transfusions, including the donation of blood, please visit the NHS Blood and Transplant website

Contacting our labs

Cheltenham laboratories

Department of Pathology, Cheltenham General Hospital, Sandford Road, Cheltenham, Glos. GL53 7AN

• Pathology reception: 0300 422 3021
• General Office: 0300 422 4056

Gloucester laboratories

Department of Pathology, Gloucestershire Royal Hospital, Great Western Road, Gloucester, Glos. GL1 3NN

• Pathology reception: 0300 422 5286
• General Office: 0300 422 5239

Finding our labs

Cheltenham General Hospital

The Pathology building is directly opposite A&E on College Road.

Gloucestershire Royal Hospital

Pathology is in the Edward Jenner building opposite the Hyde Lane pedestrian entrance. Patients dropping off samples may park outside of the building for a few minutes only.

Blood test services provided by our Phlebotomy Service

The Phlebotomy service at the Trust is only available to specific patients:

• Patients that require specialist test (i.e. Hotbox, test requiring samples on Ice, ESRs)
• Patients that are under the care of a hospital consultant
• Children aged between 6 and 11 years old
• Patients that have attended a GP appointment for a blood test but had a failed attempt

For any queries please contact the service:

• Cheltenham General Hospital 0300 422 2912 or 0300 422 3490
• Gloucestershire Royal Hospital 0300 422 5247 or 0300 422 5293

Phlebotomy service opening hours

• West Block Outpatients Phlebotomy Department: Monday to Friday: 08:00am to 4:30pm – Closed during bank holidays and weekends
• Edward Jenner Unit Phlebotomy Department: Monday to Friday: 08:00am to 4:45pm – Closed during bank holidays and weekends

Community Diagnostic Centre, Gloucester

Quayside House, Quay Street, Gloucester, GL1 2JN

• From the 1st October 2024 the Community Diagnostic Centre opening hours will be;
  • Monday and Friday - 9am to 12pm*
  • Tuesday and Thursday - 13.00 to 17.00*
  • Wednesday - Closed

* Please note; Booked appointments only. Please call 0300 422 3900 or 0300 422 5293 to book. You must bring your request form, otherwise it will not be possible to take your blood.

Cirencester Hospital Outpatient Phlebotomy Service

Gloucestershire Health and Care services provide blood tests at Cirencester Hospital for patients aged 16 and over whose consultant requests one. Patients can book their appointment by telephoning 0300 421 6215, Monday – Friday between 9am and 3pm.

For more information about this service please follow this link https://www.ghc.nhs.uk/locations/cirencester-hospital/

Booking a semen analysis appointment

Semen samples for fertility analysis are complex to process and must be examined as soon after production as possible. We therefore operate an appointment system to ensure sufficient time can be allocated to carry out each analysis.

You do not need to make an appointment if your semen sample is being examined to confirm that a vasectomy operation has been successful.

Appointments are available for weekday mornings, Monday to Friday. To make an appointment please call 0300 422 4200 between 09.00 and 12.00 Monday to Friday. This line is closed on Bank Holidays.

Please note: your test must be requested by your GP or a hospital doctor. They will provide you with a semen fertility analysis request form.

A room is available at the Gloucester laboratory if you need to produce the sample on site.

For more information take a look at our patient leaflet, Producing a semen sample for examination

Understanding your tests

Lab tests online provides useful information designed help you understand the many clinical laboratory tests that are used in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of disease.

Also find more information in our Patient Leaflets section.

Feedback and complaints

Whether raising a concern, saying thank you or making a complaint, there are many ways to share your feedback with us. Visit our Feedback page to learn more.

Consent for Diagnostic Testing

Clinicians are responsible for gaining consent from patients for the provision of a sample to enable diagnostic testing. Clinicians obtain consent from the patient in line with guidance:

• General Medical Council guidance GMC guidance: Decision making and Consent
• Department of Health guidance Reference guide to consent for examination or treatment (second edition) - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

For the laboratory, the request form and the provision of a sample provides evidence of consent received from the patient. The clinician will seek consent from the patient to investigate through testing. Therefore initial consent conversations may not detail each specific test that will be required to aid diagnosis. The nature of laboratory testing can mean that ‘reflex’ testing that is carried out as part of the diagnostic pathway. This is testing that takes place to further narrow down or clarify a result, and is triggered from the outcome of the initial result. Reflex testing is part of the testing pathway and therefore does not require additional consent.

There are a small number of tests that require very specific consent, as a patient may require additional support or counselling regarding the outcome of the test. Where this is the case, the laboratory will always check that consent specific to these tests has been given.

For patient concerns or advice please refer to our Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS). To provide feedback or make a complaint please refer to Feedback.

To see how your personal information is protected please see How we handle your information and the Trust Privacy Notice.

Privacy Notice (information handling)

Read our Privacy Notice to find out more about how we use patient information at Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.