{"id":4080,"date":"2022-05-03T11:47:20","date_gmt":"2022-05-03T10:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/guidelines\/laboratoryservices\/"},"modified":"2026-08-11T13:49:48","modified_gmt":"2026-08-11T12:49:48","slug":"laboratoryservices","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/guidelines\/laboratoryservices\/","title":{"rendered":"Laboratory Services"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Information on the laboratory services is available through the main <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Lothian laboratory website<\/a><strong>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br><strong><span style=\"text-decoration: underline\">Sections of the website especially relevant to primary care include:<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2024-09\/UINF-35%20-%20Tube%20Types.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">WHICH BLOOD TUBE FOR WHICH TEST<\/a> or for tests not listed see <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/TestDirectory\/Pages\/default\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Test Directory | Edinburgh and Lothians Laboratory Medicine<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For delayed specimens &#8211; <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2026-01\/UINF-36%20-%20Sample%20Storage%20for%20Primary%20Care%20-%20for%20Ext%20Dist.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">sample storage information<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/PLIG\/Announcements\/Pages\/default\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Laboratory advice and updates<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/PLIG\/GPOrder\/Pages\/default\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Generic lab issues and GP Order Comms (GPOC) or ICE<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2025-02\/UINF-37%20-%20Lab%20sample%20requesting%20in%20the%20event%20of%20electronic%20order%20system%20downtime.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GPOC \/ ICE downtime instructions<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Contacting the laboratories<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Please note that the Laboratory office hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday<\/strong>.<br>Outside these hours there is an on-call service for clinical advice in all disciplines 24\/7 and there will also be an on call biomedical scientist in each lab to process samples -contact us via switchboard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Please see the individual discipline tabs and\/or <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/sites\/default\/files\/2021-04\/Labs%20contact%20information%20for%20primary%20care%20Apr%202021.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">laboratory contact details (phone and email)<\/a> for all the different specialties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Advice about specimens and results<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>ADD-ON biochemistry tests \u2013 see <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/guidelines\/laboratoryservices\/biochemistry\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Biochemistry<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Abnormal results<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Abnormal results will be phoned or e-mailed through to the requesting practice or service in line with the laboratory <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/UsingTheService\/Pages\/ReportingResults\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">telephoning criteria<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Please see the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/guidelines\/Haematology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">haematology guidelines<\/a> for managing abnormal results&nbsp;<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>And the guidance on <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/guidelines\/gastrointestinal\/liverandbiliary\/abnormallftsincfib4score\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">abnormal liver function tests<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Specimen Collection Advice<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Labelling details<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Always <strong>check the patient&#8217;s telephone number on the system <\/strong>is current and appears on the printed label or form in case we need to contact the out of hours service about a result. Please <strong>provide clinical details <\/strong>with the request where possible to aid results interpretation, especially if there is any possibility of the result being telephoned to the out of hours service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the patient does not have a <strong>Community Health Index (CHI) number<\/strong>, please write this on the form or the laboratories will need to phone for the CHI number. &nbsp;Contact number for CHI queries 0131 242 788.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If the <strong>patient is being given a sample bottle or pot to fill at home<\/strong>, please ask them to write on the container the date and time the sample was produced. (If this is not done the date of collection may be taken as the day the sample was requested by the clinician. For some samples there are strict time limits for processing leading to sample rejection).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Barcode labels&nbsp;<\/strong>should be placed \u2018lengthways\u2019 on the sample tubes and not wrapped horizontally around the tube, so that the scanner can read them. &nbsp;Otherwise, laboratory staff have to enter the details manually, which is slow and work-intensive. It also leads to transcription errors as the writing on the label is tiny.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Sample details<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Urine containers for 24-hour tests<\/strong> can be obtained by contacting the laboratory.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Urgent samples<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>Put the specimen in its bag in an envelope marked \u2018urgent\u2019<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Phone the <a href=\"https:\/\/edinburghlabmed.co.uk\/AboutUs\/Contact\/Pages\/LaboratoriesContactDetails\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lab reception<\/a> to warn they are coming.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Samples should be placed in bags as per the table below<\/strong>:<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table aligncenter\"><table><thead><tr><th><\/th><th><strong>Microbiology<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Virology<\/strong><\/th><th><strong>Haem\/Biochem<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Little Bag<\/strong> <br>For samples from a single patient<\/td><td>Yellow<\/td><td>Blue<\/td><td>Green<\/td><\/tr><tr><td><strong>Big Bag<\/strong> <br>Once samples are in a small bag they should be added to the appropriate big bag<\/td><td>Blue<\/td><td>Blue<\/td><td>Green (or Pink)<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>C.M &amp; S.J &#8211; 10-08-26<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Information on the laboratory services is available through the main Lothian laboratory website. Sections of the website especially relevant to primary care include: Contacting the laboratories Please note that the Laboratory office hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday.Outside these hours there is an on-call service for clinical advice in all disciplines 24\/7 and there will<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":3664,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_searchwp_excluded":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[288],"class_list":["post-4080","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","category-laboratoryservices"],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"rttpg_featured_image_url":null,"rttpg_author":{"display_name":"NHS Lothian","author_link":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/author\/nhs-lothian\/"},"rttpg_comment":0,"rttpg_category":" <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/category\/laboratoryservices\/\" rel=\"tag\">Laboratory Services<\/a>","rttpg_excerpt":"Information on the laboratory services is available through the main Lothian laboratory website. Sections of the website especially relevant to primary care include: Contacting the laboratories Please note that the Laboratory office hours are 9-5 Monday to Friday.Outside these hours there is an on-call service for clinical advice in all disciplines 24\/7 and there will","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4080"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29458,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/4080\/revisions\/29458"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3664"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/apps.nhslothian.scot\/refhelp\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}