At the door
The tube is labelled in front of you with your name, date of birth and a barcode. Labelling at the door, not later in the van, is the single most important safety step in the whole journey.
In transit
Tubes travel upright in a sealed cool box with a small temperature logger. Routes are planned so no sample spends more than two hours on the road, even in Kubwa expressway traffic.
Reception
At the lab the barcode is scanned and the sample checked: the right tube, enough blood, no clotting where there should be none, and the logger read. Anything unsuitable is flagged before 9am so we can call you.
Preparation and analysis
Tubes for chemistry are spun in a centrifuge to separate serum from cells. They then join the queue on the analyser, after the morning quality controls have passed.
Review and release
A scientist reviews each result against quality rules and the request notes, checks any flags, and signs the report. Critical values are phoned through first. Then the secure link goes out.