Urine Infection Process

For some time we have not required an appointment for patients that suspect they have a UTI, and this has as a result both freed up those appointments to be used for other patients, but also allowed the treatment of suspected urine infections in a more timely manner.  We now need to add some principles to how this will be managed going forward, and these changes will come into effect from Tuesday 26^th September ’23.

• Sample and symptoms must be with us by no later than 2:30pm
• Symptoms can be provided to us either by completing a text message that we can send to you that you answer, or there is a paper form at reception, or your can tell us your symptoms when you hand your sample in.  We prefer the text message as this allows us to capture all the information directly onto your records, but there are other options.
• The urine sample will need to be in a ‘red topped’ bottle – red topped bottles contain a small amount of preservative that ‘fix’ the sample at the point in time, so that it is in a better state for it to be cultured by the laboratory, should we need to send it off
• Anything received later than 2:30pm will be acted upon the next working day, except for Friday (or when a bank holiday is due) when we will not ‘hold over’ any samples until Monday as they are unlikely to be usable if we do need to send them off to the lab
• On a Friday (or the day before a bank holiday) all samples must be in by 2:30pm

If you feel you have a urine infection, please call us on our usual number – 01234 349531 – and let us know that, and ask for the text to be sent to you. 

You do not need to phone at 8am, and so may want to call us after the usual morning calls have been answered so that you avoid the morning queue.

Then just come in to the practice to collect the red topped bottle and either do the sample while you are at the practice, if you can, or return before 2:30pm that day.