Welcome to the NHS Forth Valley Haematology and Transfusion Labs webpage. Here you can find out more about our service and the tests we offer. If you are unable to find the information you are looking for, please email:
- fv.bloodtransfusion@nhs.scot (Blood Transfusion)
- fv.haem-ans@nhs.scot (Haematology)
About Us
The Haematology & Blood Transfusion Department is part of the Acute Services directorate of NHS Forth Valley and provides comprehensive general analytical and interpretative & advisory services. The department tests approximately 2000 patient samples each day, for acute services, in-patients, outpatients and primary care.
If you are a healthcare provider, please refer to our full User Manual on StaffNet. If you are unable to access this, please contact the laboratory via FV.bloodtransfusion@nhs.scot or FV.haem-ans@nhs.scot.
If you require the information in a different format or have accessibility needs and require support, please contact fv.equality@nhs.scot.
Location and Contact Details
Address: Haematology/Transfusion Laboratory, Forth Valley Royal Hospital, Stirling Road, Larbert, FK5 4WR
E-mail contact:
- fv.bloodtransfusion@nhs.scot (Blood Transfusion)
- fv.haem-ans@nhs.scot (Haematology)
Switchboard: Forth Valley Royal Hospital – 01324 566000
The laboratory operates a 24/7 service on the following basis:
Haematology & Blood Transfusion Opening Hours
- Monday to Friday 08:40 – 17:00 (Normal Service)
- Monday to Friday 17:00 -08:40 (Reduced 24 hour service)
- Saturday and Sunday all day – (Reduced 24 hour service)
- Public Holidays – Reduced service
Specimen Reception Opening Hours
- Monday to Friday 08:45-20:00
- Saturday and Sunday and 09:00-17:00
Please note that we cannot provide results or specific enquiries on your sample(s). The best way to get help, or if you have a concern or query, is to contact your clinical team or GP. Lab results often require the interpretation of a range of factors associated with your clinical care.
UKAS Accreditation
The Haematology and Transfusion Laboratories at Forth Valley Royal Hospital are currently working towards UKAS accreditation in accordance with International Standard ISO 15189:2022 Medical laboratories – Requirements for Quality and Competence.
We acknowledge that each request accepted by the laboratory for examination(s) shall be considered an agreement.
A robust risk management process is in place in line with NHS Forth Valley with an aim to ensure there is an ongoing assessment and monitoring of risks in all examinations performed. Any identified risks and effectiveness of the mitigation processes are monitored and evaluated according to the potential harm to the patient. Any residual risk that cannot be mitigated will be communicated to users.
Quality Assurance
Laboratories have a fully embedded Quality management System which provides assurance that the service we provide is of a very high standard and that patient and user safety and well being is at the core of service delivery.
Consent
Please note that the laboratory consider all specimens received have been sent with the necessary consents to carry out the requested tests. Your GP or Healthcare Provider will have explained the test to you and asked for your consent.
The laboratory may, on occasion, modify a test request if there is indication that this was ordered in error to the most appropriate test. The haematologists may at times send samples away to external laboratories to investigate samples further. The interim and final reports will reflect this and be issued as soon as possible and remain the responsibility of the clinical team.
If a sample has been submitted and your clinical team wish to add tests they may call or email the laboratory to do so. Original samples are retained for different periods of time. Therefore, add on requests should be made as early as possible by your GP or Healthcare Provider.
The laboratory may decline a requested test. An explanation will always accompany the report. Reasons a test may be declined include:
- Missing minimum required data
- Wrong sample type
- Inadequate sample to do all requested tests
Data Protection
NHS Forth Valley has robust policies in place to protect the information we hold about patients and staff. All staff, including those in the microbiology laboratory, are trained in matters surrounding confidentiality at induction. This understanding of confidentiality and data protection is further reinforced by professional registration bodies such as the HCPC, IBMS and GMC which govern our staff. Only clinicians involved in the care of an individual should discuss results with microbiology.
Feedback
Even though the laboratory cannot answer specific enquiries on your sample directly or give out results to you, the laboratory welcomes feedback from patients. To give feedback, including compliments and complaints, please email:
- fv.bloodtransfusion@nhs.scot (Blood Transfusion)
- fv.haem-ans@nhs.scot (Haematology)
We aim to acknowledge complaints within 7 working days of receipt. Following this all complaints will be investigated in confidence and a letter outlining our findings will follow when the investigation is completed.
If you have already contacted the laboratory directly and are unhappy, then please contact Patient Relations. They are a branch of the NHS Forth Valley Person Centred Care Directorate and are responsible for coordinating responses to complaints, compliments and feedback from patients and communities. The patient relations team are based in FVRH and can be contacted via fv.complaints@nhs.scot.
Further details about the compliments and complaints department are available on the Compliments & Complaints page.
Tests
A full list of the tests offered within the NHS Forth Valley Haematology and Transfusion Lab can be viewed below, with turnaround times (TATs) for each specimen type listed against each test.
Please note that not all tests are performed daily and some require referral to an external laboratory. Please also note that samples referred to external labs have their own TATs over which we have no control. There may be a delay in uploading reference lab reports to our Lab systems. Urgent processing must be discussed with the lab in all cases but is not always possible.
Anything not listed as performed here in Haematology/Transfusion will likely be sent to a reference laboratory for testing. Clinicians can view full referred test repertoire on the intranet Laboratory Handbook. Please contact your clinician regarding any tests that are not listed.
- 3-week turnaround time
- By arrangement with labs only.
- Test – PT, APTT and fibrinogen – Specimen tube must not be under or overfilled
- Bottle or Container Type – Citrate (must be filled to the minimum fill line indicator)
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range –
- PT 8 – 15.2 seconds#
- APTT 5 – 33.7 seconds
- Fibrinogen 2.35 – 4.2 g/L
- Turnaround Time – 4 hours / Emergency Department – 90 minutes
- Notes – D-dimers may be raised in presence of thrombosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, inflammation, infection, underlying malignancy or recent surgery.
- Bottle or Container Type – Citrate
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range – <0.5mg/l
- Turnaround Time – 2 hours / Emergency Department – 90 minutes
- Bottle or container type – Transfusion EDTA and request form required. Pink top bottle with handwritten details.
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range – positive in up to 5% of normal controls
- Turnaround Time – 12 hours
- Bottle or Container Type – Specimen tube must not be under or overfilled. EDTA
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range –
- Men 2-30 mm in 1 hour
- Women 2-30 mm in 1hour
- Turnaround Time – 12 hours
- Bottle or Container Type – Citrate
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range – Test on OrderComms “citrated platelet count”, add “check platelets” into clinical details section, test code is “CPLT”. This is for patients that have platelet clumping with EDTA.
- Turnaround Time – 6 hours
- Bottle or Container – EDTA ( min fill level 0.5ml)
- Volume – 4ml
- Reference Range – refer to tables below for further information:
| Test | Notes | Bottle / Container
type |
Vol. (ml) | Reference range where applicable
(adult unless otherwise stated) |
Maximum turnaround time for results |
| Haemoglobin electrophoresis
(See section 12) |
5 | EDTA | 4 | 1 week | |
| Hb A2 (HPLC) | 5 | EDTA | 4 | 1.8-3.2% | 3 working days |
| Hb F (HPLC) | 5 | EDTA | 4 | 0-0.9% | 3 working days |
| HbA1c (HPLC) | 5 | EDTA | 4 | Target range for good diabetic control is 48–59 mmol/mol (IFCC units) | 24 hours |
| Haemosiderin | 6 | Universal | 20 | 6 hours | |
| Infectious Mononucleosis test | SST or EDTA | 7 or 4 | 24 hours |
| Test | Notes | Bottle / Container
type |
Vol. (ml) | Reference range where applicable
(adult unless otherwise stated) |
Maximum turnaround time for results |
| INR | 1 | Citrate | 4 | Target INR range is dependent on reason for anticoagulation. Refer to Haematology clinical guidelines on intranet. | 6 hours |
| Kleihauer | EDTA | 4 | See section 10 | 48 hours | |
| Malarial screen
(and other blood borne parasites (thick and thin film and plasmodium antigen test) |
EDTA | 4 | See section 10 | antigen test
2 hours films 24 – 48 hours (dependent on antigen test) |
|
| Reticulocytes | EDTA | 4 | Issued with report | 6 hours | |
| Sickle solubility test | 9 | EDTA | 4 | Urgent 1 hour and routine 3 days |
| Notes | Description |
| * | By arrangement with lab |
| ** | Referred elsewhere. Must be in laboratory before Thursday 12 midday |
| 1 | Specimen tube must not be under or overfilled |
| 2 | Do not test following B12 injection |
| 3 | D-dimers may be raised in presence of thrombosis, disseminated
intravascular coagulation, inflammation, infection, underlying malignancy or recent surgery. |
| 4 | Sample should be taken pre-dose |
| 5 | Must be requested PRE-TRANSFUSION |
| 7 | Must be sent before starting cobalamin treatment as test disrupted by high levels of serum B12 |
| 8 | Samples should arrive in laboratory no later than 2pm |
| 9 | A positive test must be followed by haemoglobin electrophoresis to
distinguish between heterozygote and homozygote |
| 10 | Please specify which are of clinical interest |
| 11 | Only performed if Anti Nuclear Factor is Positive |
Appendix – Table for Reference
| Test | Notes | Bottle / Container
type |
Vol. (ml) | Reference range where applicable
(adult unless otherwise stated) |
Maximum turnaround time for results |
| Bone marrow | * | – | – | 3 weeks | |
| Coagulation Screen
(PT, APTT and fibrinogen) |
1 | Citrate (must be filled to the minimum fill line indicator) | 4 | PT 12.8 – 15.2 seconds
APTT 27.5 – 33.7 seconds Fibrinogen 2.35 – 4.2 g/L |
4 hours
ED – 90 minutes |
| D-Dimer | 3 | Citrate | 4 | <0.5mg/l | 2 hours
ED – 90 minutes |
| Direct anti-globulin test (Coombs test)
Transfusion EDTA and request form required (pink top bottle with hand written details) |
EDTA | 4 | positive in up to 5% of normal controls | 12 hours | |
| Test | Notes | Bottle / Container
type |
Vol. (ml) | Reference range where applicable
(adult unless otherwise stated) |
Maximum turnaround time for results |
| Erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) – ( Non Westegren Method) | 1 | EDTA | 4 | Men 2-30 mm in 1 hour
Women 2-30 mm in 1hour |
12 hours |
| Full Blood Count (FBC) | EDTA ( min fill level 0.5ml) | 4 | see later tables for reference ranges | 6 hours
ED – 60 minutes |
|
| Citrated Platelet Count | Citrate | 4 | Test on OrderComms “citrated platelet count”,
add “check platelets” into clinical details section, test code is “CPLT” This is for patients that have platelet clumping with EDTA. |
6 hours |