Take care if you are returning blood samples

[Puddleperson]

Hello all. I'm in the middle of a nightmare and want to issue a bit of a warning to others. I am trying to get a blood test from Blue Horizon. The kit arrived very quickly but unfortunately for me the finger prick failed to produce enough blood. Blue Horizon kindly sent me another kit. Fortunately I had a blood test booked at my local surgery the following week and was able to persuade the nurse to fill the phial for me to return to the labs. I posted it the same day, last Monday, using the label supplied with 24Hr Royal Mail Tracked delivery. The tracking system states that it has been in Manchester since last Tuesday but still not delivered. Blue Horizon say they have not received it. This is a disaster for me as the cost of a Nurse to take the sample is another £60 and I wonder, as I live in a fairly remote area, whether they would be happy to turn up on my doorstep before 9am!

Royal mail no longer insist on a signature which makes the tracking service pretty useless. My warning and strong advice is that if you are returning a sample to use another service. I sent a saliva test back to a different laboratory the following day via special delivery, it cost £7.50 but did indeed arrive next day with a signature. I would willingly have paid that to ensure my blood sample was delivered and not now be in the position I am.

[humanbean]

I always use the Royal Mail "Guaranteed Next Day Delivery by 1pm" service. It hasn't failed me yet - but in looking for the link on the subject :

royalmail.com/business/ship...

I've discovered the Royal Mail is "improving" the service from Monday by making it worse!

[Puddleperson in reply to humanbean]

That is the service I sent it by and it was promised by 1pm the next day, however the PO clerk advised that it would actually be by end of the day. Either would have been good. At least whilst this Covid crisis is on I would not recommend using 24 hour tracked service.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Puddleperson]

Puddleperson

I thought you said you used the Tracked 24 envelope supplied by Blue Horizon? That has a tracking number on the label.

Did you also hand it over the Post Office counter and pay for Special Delivery Guaranteed Next Day by 1pm, that service costs £7.50 although the counter clerk may have subtracted the cost of the Tracked 24hr service from the £7.50, and get a receipt with another tracking number? If this is the case then it's your place to claim from Royal Mail as you purchased the service.

It's not quite clear whether you used the Tracked 24 provided by BH or purchased the Special Delivery Guaranteed Next Day service.

[Puddleperson in reply to SeasideSusie]

I used the pre paid label supplied by BH which was for 24 hour tracked service which I took to my local Post Office and received a tracking slip with the number. This service states 1pm the following day but the PO clerk advised that it would arrive by late afternoon the following day.

The Royal Mail Tracking site has finally updated the information. It now says 'internal server error'. I despair!!

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Puddleperson]

Puddleperson

I used BH last week with a Tracked 24 label on the return envelope. It doesn't actually need to be handed over the PO counter as there is a tracking number on the label which the sender (ie you or me) is supposed to make note of so we can track it's journey. It can just be posted in a post box. I specifically asked about this because I am avoiding using shops in the current circumstances as I have lung disease so am very vulnerable as far as the virus is concerned.

Tracked 24 is not a guaranteed next day service. RM state that the aim is next day delivery but it's not guaranteed.

royalmail.com/sending/uk/tr...

So as your sample has still not been delivered, and BH purchased this service, then as mentioned in my first reply it is up to BH to look into this with RM so I would be asking them to send you a new kit free of charge if the original one is lost or the blood unsuitable for testing due to the delay.

The only way to guarantee deliver next day is to use their Special Delivery Guaranteed Next Day service as humanbean has done, which costs £7.50

[Puddleperson in reply to SeasideSusie]

I didn't know there was a tracking number already on the label. I was keen to have a piece of paper that confirmed I had sent it. I wasn't happy with the 24 hour tracked at the time but thought that as they were doing it all the time they knew best. I was wrong and next time will use Special.

BH have already sent me a replacement kit although I used the phial for the one that is now lost. I kept the phial from my first failed finger prick attempt so could probably disinfect and re-use. The major problem however is that the finger prick failed to produce blood, it dried and stopped bleeding after just two drops. I followed all your advice hot water, windmilling, running up and down stairs and even a session on my cross trainer! All I got was sore fingers. I therefore need a phlebotomist to take the next sample, which assuming I can arrange one for early morning, will cost a considerable amount of money. I may have located one an hour's drive away so will contact them on Monday.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Puddleperson]

Puddleperson

You can't disinfect and reuse the other vial. They usually contain additives - anticoagulant or preservative or something which will be removed if you disinfect it.

You need to discuss this with BH, emphasise RM's failure to deliver otherwise the sample would have been viable if it had arrived on time.

[Puddleperson in reply to SeasideSusie]

You are absolutely right. A few more shouty emails from me this morning eventually resulted in a phone call from BH which has helped enormously. I have learned some things that are worth sharing.

1- The Vials supplied by BH do indeed contain an anticoagulant which is degraded on contact with air.

2- BH labs will only accept blood contained in a 'vacuette' tube. So make sure your private phlebotomist uses one.

3- BH defended 24 hour tracked and told me that they were not allowed to send blood samples via Special Delivery. I have since looked this up and it is not true. The rules say that biological samples including blood may be sent via Special Delivery within the UK provided they do not exceed 50ml.

Hope that helps everyone.

[SeasideSusie Remembering in reply to Puddleperson]

Puddleperson

2- BH labs will only accept blood contained in a 'vacuette' tube. So make sure your private phlebotomist uses one.

So that's for the venous blood draw then, as the fingerprick tests have the microtainers. I've only ever had one venous blood draw with home phlebotomy a few years ago, always done fingerprick tests since then.

3- BH defended 24 hour tracked and told me that they were not allowed to send blood samples via Special Delivery.

Oooh, naughty, they are telling porkies, as you know and I have sent my by Special Delivery many, many times.

How can they defend the Tracked 24 if your sample has taken so long. Maybe it's a one off but at the end of the day your sample has been massively delayed. I have sent samples back Tracked 24, one arrived in 2 days, the other arrived the next day, so it does work but obviously something has gone wrong with yours.

Has your sample arrived yet and, if so, is it viable? If not, are they sending you a new test free of charge?

[Puddleperson in reply to SeasideSusie]

No it has not arrived. Royal Mail Tracking still shows it in Manchester. I don't know what it's doing up there as I'm in the South of England and the Lab is in Surrey! It won't be any use now anyway as it is over 7 days old.

Hopefully the new sample will get there on Wednesday and I have begged them (and Regenerus) to send my results before the weekend. I shall post them as soon as I get them then beg for help interpreting them. I can't put the GP off any longer so want to make sure I have as many facts as my brain fogged mind will absorb available for a sensible conversation with him on Monday.

[Sharoosz in reply to Puddleperson]

I have had the same problem with taking blood. I wrote the lab about it months ago and they said they needed to update their instructions (which they probably haven't done b/c they aren't going to waste their current brochures). The instructions show the top middle area of the finger to prick, which never works well for me. The person who emailed me said to do it more on the side of the fingertip.

[Puddleperson in reply to Sharoosz]

Thanks, Sharoosz for telling me this even though it is even more annoying to know that you sent them a warning about their return system months ago and they have done nothing. I sent them a stiff note this morning expressing my displeasure! It looks like they are ignoring that but have at least confirmed the correct address to send it to. My previous blood sample would still appear to be in Manchester despite me being in the South of England and the delivery address being in Guildford!?

However, at last I have good news, I hope. I have discovered a private phlebotomist reasonably near to me who will take the sample at 8.30 tomorrow morning for £20. That is £40 less than the nearest BH nurse who is 192 miles away from me. I will send the sample by Special Delivery tomorrow. All extra expense for me but I just want it done. For £20 I definitely won't be bothering with finger pricking again.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Puddleperson]

Absolutely no help to you, but I confirm the Royal Mail tracking is broken.

Awaiting a small package from China. I can track it on the Chinese site. I can track it on the Netherlands Post site (both of them perfectly usable in English). But RM says 'internal server error'. Has been working/not working regularly for days.

Wait a while, an hour or two, try again. Repeat.

[Puddleperson in reply to helvella]

I ordered some T3 with tracking via Bulgaria post. No tracking info there either but to my relief it arrived a few days later.

[helvella Administrator in reply to Puddleperson]

RM tracking seems OK today.

[Puddleperson in reply to helvella]

Too late for me. Mine is still lost and sample useless now anyway as it’s too old

[BrynGlas in reply to humanbean]

I agree humanbean. I found out the hard way that Recorded Delivery was not trackable when my grand daughters birthday card went missing along with her cash gift. I was told then by Royal Mail that Recorded Delivery could not be tracked and it wasn't guaranteed either. So not really any enter than a first class stamped envelope.

I knew Special Delivery was good, when my husband worked away for weeks at a time, he would send his wages home and they arrived every Friday for years and I never had a problem. But Special Delivery is expensive of course. But if I have to send anything that I really need to keep tabs on I go for Special Delivery every time, it is worth the cost if you need to know that it has arrived.

But thanks for your heads up, I had no idea that it was changing to no signature?????

I have only ever used the 1pm delivery service. It makes more sense to me for stuff addressed to business premises for example than the 9 am delivery does. Plus if I sent my grand daughter cash in the post, she would certainly not be out of bed on none working days by 9am! LoL

But if you are sending cash and it isn't going to be signed for, I suspect that it might be difficult to prove how much was sent if you needed to make a claim because of non delivery. It doesn't sound good to me. The Post Office is shooting itself in the foot from what I have just read from my perspective, but that has never stopped them before and I am not sure that it will change now.

[Redlester in reply to BrynGlas]

especially now they have the greatest excuse in the world - just blame it on the "pandemic"!!!

[BrynGlas in reply to Redlester]

ROFLMAO!! Very true!!

[SeasideSusie Remembering]

Puddleperson

As Blue Horizon purchased the Tracked24 Return Service from Royal Mail, it is up to them to complain that it hasn't arrived and do something about it. You did everything correctly, and normally it can take up to 48 hours for the Tracked 24 for the item to arrive. So I would contact Blue Horizon to see if they are going to chase this up. Chances are the sample will arrive but whether it will still be viable you'll have to ask BH. If it's not then they should send you another kit free of charge and any out of pocket expenses and compensation for failure to deliver on time is up to BH to sort out with Royal Mail.

Royal Mail, and all the parcel/courier services are not asking for signatures at the moment due to Covid-19. Anything that is delivered to me by one of these tracked services, the postman/courier scans the item when it is delivered, some of the couriers even take a photo of the parcel in my porch. Some services send an email/text to say it's been delivered. Special Delivery Guaranteed Next Day may be the exception to that and I'm sure if it is then all precautions are taken.

[Puddleperson in reply to SeasideSusie]

Thank you for your reply. I had been so busy being angry I hadn’t thought it through. I gave them the tracking number days ago along with the reasons it was such a disaster. They did tell me that blood samples stay stable for 7 days which means I’m out of time now as there’ll be no deliveries on Sunday.

It is beyond annoying that you can’t actually speak to BH but I’ll have a go at them by email on Monday

[Puddleperson]

No they didn’t but I wouldn’t trust anything important to a box anyway. I prefer to take it to a PO and get a piece of paper in exchange. I haven’t heard of boxes being closed or specially designated. Thanks, will look out for that,