Haematology service
We work across Barts Health to diagnose and treat diseases relating to the blood. Our laboratories provide routine and specialised blood tests and our experts provide advice to GPs and doctors in many different hospitals in north London and Essex.
We help diagnose and treat blood cancers such as leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma, in conjunction with the Barts Cancer Centre based at St Bartholomew’s. Our blood transfusion department is the largest in the UK. We are a comprehensive care centre for haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia, thalassaemia, paediatric haematology and a regional referral centre for immune thrombocytopenia, inherited bone marrow failure and complex thrombosis.
Need information about blood tests? Lab tests online UK has been designed to help you better understand the many clinical lab tests, but is also used widely by healthcare professionals as a source of information.
Referring your patient
General guidance
We have general guidance on eRS and advice and guidance on our website. Haematology-specific guidance is built into the e-referrals Directory of Service.
Haemoglobinopathy eRS referrals
Patients moving from another service will need an eRS before being officially accepted. Ideally, this should be done by their previous team but if they are new to the country or they cannot get a referral letter from their previous centre it would come from their GP.
Haematology advice and guidance service
Please check clinical guides below where many common queries are addressed in detail. If your query is not answered by that, please use the e-referrals option if you are unsure if a patient needs to be seen or you have a quick question that can be answered without us seeing the patient. We endeavour to answer all queries within five working days.
Haemoglobinopathy patient queries
We have a dedicated email address which we give out to our patients. This is monitored by our consultants and specialist nurses, so please encourage patients to use this if they have any routine queries.
Haematinic deficiency
Haematology review only adds value when someone’s anaemia is unexplained. We will reject referrals for haematinic deficiency or anaemia where the haematinics have not been checked.
IV iron
GPs can refer for IV iron on our day unit via e-referrals. Referrals to clinic will be redirected to our IV iron service.
Urgent referrals
If you have a more urgent referral, or want to speak to a haematologist, contact our switchboard on 020 3416 5000 and ask to speak to the haematology registrar:
- RLH haemoglobinopathy: adults RLH bleep 1241; paeds RLH bleep 1239
- For patients on chemotherapy at St Bartholomew's for haematological malignancy: 07909 002 671 (24h)
- All other queries: RLH bleep 1243, WXH bleep 2075, NUH bleep 4130, or out of hours via switchboard
Shared and transfer of care
Transfer of care guidance for anticoagulant care
We have transfer of care agreements in place with primary care for patients on anticoagulants. Following a final decision on the type and dose of anticoagulant patients are discharged with recommendations for blood testing and community review available via the CCG website.
Shared care guidance for haemoglobinopathies
We have a trust wide shared-care policy to allow GPs to prescribe hydroxyurea available via the CCG website.