Blood tests
As of April 2021, you need to book an appointment for your blood test. This is to aid with social distancing and reduce waiting times for patients when attending our clinics.
Booking appointments
West Suffolk Hospital, Bury St Edmunds
Appointments are available Monday to Friday, 7.15am to 4pm, and Saturday 8.15am to 12pm. The easiest way is to book your blood test at West Suffolk Hospital online.
If you are unable to book online please call 0300 303 5299, lines are open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Mildenhall Health Centre
Appointments are available Monday to Friday, 9am to 12.10pm. The easiest way is to book your blood test at Mildenhall Health Centre online.
If you are unable to book online please call 0300 303 5299, lines are open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Newmarket Community Hospital
Appointments are available Monday to Thursday, 8am to 3.45pm; and Fridays 8am to 12.45pm. The easiest way is to book your blood test at Newmarket Community Hospital online.
If you are unable to book on line then please phone 01638 558442 or 558445, lines are open 8.30am to 2.30pm, Monday to Friday.
Sudbury Community Health Centre
Appointments are available Monday to Friday, 8.15am to 4pm. The easiest way is to book your blood test online at Sudbury Community Health Centre.
If you are unable to book online please call 0300 303 5299, lines are open 8am to 6pm, Monday to Friday.
Patient information
When you come for your blood test please ensure you bring your blood test request form with you, and wear clothing that gives easy access to your arm.
Blood tests for children
Children under 5 years of age will be seen in children’s outpatients. Please call 01284 713928 to arrange an appointment time.
Children aged between 5 years and up to their 11th birthday who are required to attend West Suffolk Hospital for a blood test, must make an appointment in advance by calling hospital appointments on 01284 713713.
Children aged 11 years and over can book as normal by following the process at the top of this page.
Information for people who are trans
If your affirmed gender is not the same as your biological sex, please make sure staff are aware when attending for your blood test. This is because in a very few instances it could affect the interpretation of your results or treatment given to you. If you have any concerns about this please talk to the doctor or clinician who has asked you to have your blood taken.
More information about appointment-only blood tests
From Tuesday, 6 April 2021, we have moved to appointment-only blood tests at all our clinics. This decision has been made to aid with social distancing and to reduce patient waiting times when attending our clinics. You can find out more below.
Yes. As people become familiar with booking appointments and we see a decline in walk-in patients, more booking slots will become available. When Sudbury Health Centre made the same change, we saw a significant decrease in waiting times for patients.
We have seen a large increase in the number of patients coming for blood tests. In order to ensure safe social distancing and reduce waiting times for patients, we have moved to an all appointment-based system.
This will allow us to better manage demand and help ensure that patients are not kept waiting in the department.
We reserve a number of appointments for urgent tests. If you require an urgent test, our clinics will book you in and you will be able to go straight for a blood test. GPs can also book urgent tests.
As with prior to the change, our blood tests run between 7.15am and 4pm on weekdays, so if you have an outpatient appointment outside these times and require an urgent blood test, you will be asked to come back another day.
The online booking system, Swiftqueue, can be used by any member of the family or a loved one to book in a test for an elderly relative. Bookings can also be made by phone. If it is for an urgent blood test following an appointment, the clinic will book them in.
Yes. There is no limit to the number of future appointments that can be booked in Swiftqueue, however we ask that any unused appointments are cancelled as soon as possible if they are not required.