Our Service Spotlight highlights the fantastic work various teams do within SWGP Federation and raises
awareness around what exactly different services offer within the healthcare system.
This month we’re focusing on SWGP’s Phlebotomy Team. Our trained Phlebotomists attend all SWGP
member practices to provide much-needed blood test clinics. As a result patients can access blood tests
appointments more conveniently, reducing the need to make often lengthier trips to hospital.
We spoke to Karen Boulton who is our Resilience Team Lead.
What is your name and what team do you work within?
I am Karen Boulton, and I am the Team Leader for the resilience clinical teams.
What does your team do/how do they help patients?
The Phlebotomy Team take patients’ blood for testing and have recently attended blood pressure
training; this will add to our range of skills and help surgeries work more efficiently and improve patient
convenience as only one appointment is needed instead of several. As a team, both flexibility and
patient support go hand in hand to ensure we provide the best service.
How many people work within your team?
Within the team we have ten Phlebotomists, four Health Care Assistants, one Manager and one
Team Lead, our team is consistently evolving.
What does a day within your team look like?
The Resilience Team have a varied day and are centered around offering flexibility as part of our
service. We start our day by travelling to a surgery and setting the clinic up to support patients with
everything from blood tests to ECG’s, through to urine test analysis and vaccinations. We also
provide: blood pressure monitoring and B12, clip and suture removal, chronic disease reviews,
dressings and wound care, as well as pneumonia care.
How would you describe working within your team and for SWGP in a few words?
The Phlebotomy Team are full of character and enthusiasm, everyone has their little quirks and sense
of humor, yet we are all service and patient focused, hardworking and friendly. We are a happy, hard working, caring team.
Have there been any key achievements within your team since its development that you would like to highlight?
Many of the Phlebotomists have come from completely different careers and trained to become
Phlebotomists. I have gone from being a Health Care Assistant/Phlebotomist, to becoming a team
lead for the service in a short period of time. This role is completely different to anything else I have
ever done, so has given me a lot of challenges and has been a steep learning curve. However, with
the guidance I have received from Stuart Jackson, the Phlebotomy Team Manager, we now have the
best service in the area.
What are your favorite parts of working within your team?
The greatest part of working within the Phlebotomy Team is being certain we have the best team
and the best service. We look out for one another, offering support within the team as well as for our
patients.
A big thank you to everyone in the Phlebotomy Team for the work you do to deliver SWGP
services and enhance patient care.