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Pathology lab strike action
Posted or Updated on 12 Jun 2026
We have been informed by East Lancashire Hospitals Trust that staff working in the blood sciences departments at Blackburn Royal Hospital and Burnley General Hospital will be taking part in strike action on the following dates:
15 to 19 June - 22 to 26 June - 29 June to 3 July - 6 to 10 July
Unfortunately, this means the laboratories at both hospitals will have a reduced capacity, which will lead to longer waiting times for patients to receive appointments and results of blood tests.
For now we have been asked to rearrange all routine bloods booked in between Monday and Wednesday 15th to 17th June, however this may extend into further dates. To minimise disruption to patients we are having to cancel these appointments until we know we will be able to get your blood results back if samples are taken.
We appreciate this is frustrating not only to you as patients but also to us as a practice. We would politely ask patients not to contact the practice to chase up the results or appointments of blood tests, as we will be unable to make things happen any quicker.
We will update our Facebook and website as this situation developed.
Thank you to all patients for your continued support and understanding.