The Clinical Biochemistry service has laboratories on both Trust acute sites: at Maidstone hospital and at Pembury at Tunbridge Wells hospital, providing a comprehensive clinical service to the hospitals, the local Clinical Commissioning Group and the community by screening, diagnosing/excluding disease and monitoring response to treatment and drug therapy. Some specialist investigations are provided through arrangements with specialised laboratories throughout the UK.
The majority of requests originating in primary care are transported directly to the main automated laboratory at Maidstone Hospital. Inpatient and outpatient work is conducted on the originating site. There is 24 hour support 365 days a year on both sites for urgent patient management.
The department is assessed by the National Pathology accreditation body United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS) against ISO 15189:2012 standards.
See UKAS Scope of accreditation
See UKAS Certificate of accreditation
Guidelines and protocols
Acute Kidney Injury AKI staging system
Cushings Screening Suspected Hypercorticolism 1.4
eGRF (for staging and managment of chronic Kidney Disease) eGFR staging
Glucose Tolerance Test for Diabetes
- GTT Request form
- Diabetes Mellitus investigation protocol
- Diabetes autoantibody requesting guidelines
Vitamin D guidelines for low levels – please contact laboratory
Available to hospital users only: (These documents will not open from Chrome, please use Internet Explorer)
Tests available and Sample collection techniques
For Test repertoire and general sample collection instructions, including order of draw of blood bottles click here
Random Urine collection instructions
Reference ranges
Communication of critical and unexpected results
There are published criteria for communicating critical and unexpected results. See Telephone Limits