Medical Screening Solutions, a provider of medical evidence collection services, has stressed that is unaffected by the current shortage of blood test tubes.
Late last month, the British Medical Association warned doctors will soon have to make very difficult choices around which patients get blood tests and which do not due to the shortage of the blood test tubes.
At the time, the BMA warned that if the NHS did not reduce the volume of tubes being used in the coming days, even the most clinically important blood tests may be at risk.
But Medical Screening Solutions has issued a statement in which it revealed that it has sufficient stocks in place to continue supporting insurers’ ongoing underwriting requirements.
The firm, which owns specialist laboratory provider Pura Diagnostics, says this relationship means it can continue to offer a ranges of tests including testing packs, home finger-prick kits and full phlebotomy services.
It added the partnership also brings the firm closer to the supply chain, enabling it to monitor the current shortage of test tubes on an ongoing basis.
Commenting further on the situation, Jonathan Benton, managing director of Medical Screening Solutions and Pura Diagnostics said: “A unique combination of unprecedented demand caused by the pandemic, and supply chain issues has resulted in a global shortage of test tubes.
“Understandably, this shortage raises concerns about the collection of underwriting evidence for life insurance applications, especially at a time when consumer demand for protection products is at a high.
“Throughout the pandemic and the current global test tube shortage, Medical Screening Solutions continues to perform thousands of face-to-face and remote screenings each month on behalf of our insurance company customers.
“The collection of blood samples is a prerequisite of many of the requests we receive. Working closely with our laboratory provider Pura Diagnostics we’re confident we have sufficient supplies of test tubes in place to fulfil our insurance customers’ ongoing underwriting requirements.”