Trust contacting 11,000 patients over blood test result concerns

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

Approximately 11,000 patients are being contacted by a hospital trust over incorrect blood test results, with some potentially misdiagnosed as diabetic.

Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust said it experienced an “intermittent issue” with the machine that analyses HbA1c blood tests on certain dates in April and July.

An HbA1c blood test measures a person’s average blood sugar levels and is used to diagnose and monitor diabetes.

People with the condition tend to have higher HbA1c levels than non-diabetics.

In a statement on its website, the trust warned the issue with its machine “may have resulted in some patients receiving HbA1c results that were potentially higher than actual”.

The problem, reported first by the Health Service Journal (HSJ), is related only to tests analysed on machines at the laboratory in Luton and Dunstable University Hospital, and impacts only HbA1c blood tests.

The trust confirmed it is contacting about 11,000 people across Luton, south Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire whose results may have been affected.

All patients are being invited for retests as a precaution.

The statement added: “You may receive a call from the hospital in the coming weeks asking you to come and have another blood sample taken for re-testing.

“Please be assured that we will contact you if your result might have been affected. We are asking residents to please avoid calling the hospital or your GP to ask whether you need to be re-tested because we need to focus our effort on arranging the retests with those patients who need them.

“Please do not attend for a HbA1c retest if you have not been directly contacted by the hospital either by phone or letter.

“If you have received a letter, please ensure you have the blood request form provided with you. If you attend and do not need a test, you will be turned away.”

The trust also offered an apology to patients on its website, saying: “We sincerely apologise for any emotional distress and inconvenience that has been caused by this issue.

“We are undertaking a detailed review to find out what went wrong and identify any learning.”