For samples taken between Tuesday 24th December to Thursday 26th December, Saturday 28th December, Tuesday 31st December and Wednesday 1st January, please store all samples except slides & histology pots in the fridge until the day of the next courier collection.

For chemistry, serology or endocrinology tests, please centrifuge as soon as possible after the clot forms and separate serum into a plain tube. Gel tubes are not ideal for longer storage and are not suitable for hormone or drug assays. If gel tubes are used they should be centrifuged and the serum can be poured into a plain tube after centrifugation, before refrigeration.

For haematology, make an air dried smear in addition to submitting whole EDTA.

Wherever clinically possible it would be best to take a fresh sample on the day the courier collection is scheduled rather than store for prolonged periods.
This is particularly important for microbiology samples.

If you are in doubt about the usefulness of a stored sample please feel free to ring and discuss before submitting.