AN investigation has unearthed serious flaws in the management of blood sampling at Basildon Hospital.

A joint board meeting of the clinical commissioning groups (CCG) which oversee regional healthcare was told that 2021 and early 2022 saw major failings with a significant number of blood test taken at the hospital proving to be contaminated in what has been described as a 'major failure'.

An investigation has been launched by health bosses, with staff shortages allegedly causing issue with blood cultures, which are carried out in advance of patients undergoing operations.

Figures show that 70 per cent of tests taken in the year up to January 2022 were found to be contaminated, leading to treatment being delayed as patients were re-tested.

The normal limit of contaminated tests should be below three per cent.

Katherine Kirk, chairman of quality and governance committee at Basildon and Brentwood CCG, said: "If I'm understanding this right and it's about the effectiveness of blood tests, what's going on? It's clearly a major failure."

In response, Viv Barker, Interim Director of Nursing for Patient Safety, said: "There are significant concerns regarding the contaminant element of the blood cultures. It's really important because you don't get a clear picture of the growth and what you are wanting to screen.

"We have asked the South and Mid Essex Hospitals Trust and the Basildon site specifically, to investigate this. But a lot of it looks back towards workforce issues and a lot of people were working to 'nth' of their skills.

"I know when I go back to my time in provider land we flipped from everybody being able to take blood cultures to only specific clinicians being able to take blood cultures because of the requirement for such an aseptic management of taking the cultures and those risks of contaminants."

Ms Baker added: "If you move to just having registrars and above you lose windows of opportunity in terms of time because you're not going to be able to access that and then for everybody to have the skill you have to use it frequently to not lose it.

"It is a significant high for Basildon. It's not just a few per cent over the norm of contaminant."