Norfolk and Suffolk FT receives blood test boost

A trust statement said: “The new blood analyser, which has been supplied free of charge by Genus - the trust’s supplier of clozapine in Norfolk - has helped to hone the service further including reducing appointment times, dealing with test results immediately and reducing emergency duty calls to pharmacists.”

Clozapine is an antipsychotic used for resistant schizophrenia but, while very effective, can cause some blood problems. If not monitored properly, this could be fatal in about 1 in 100 people taking clozapine.

The trust needs to monitor its service users’ blood at least once a month.