Scots GP practice hit by ‘tsunami of pee' issues urgent warning to patients
Bosses at the medical practice have raised concerns over the "high volumes" of patients' pee being handed in impacting care provision
PEED OFF Scots GP practice hit by 'tsunami of pee' issues urgent warning to patients
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A SCOTS GP practice facing a "tsunami of pee" has issued a warning to patients.
Saltoun Surgery in Fraserburgh, Aberdeenshire, has been swamped with urine samples in recent times.
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Saltoun Surgery in Fraserburgh has been inundated with urine samples
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Bosses at the medical practice have raised concerns over the "high volumes" of patients' pee being handed in impacting care provision.
In response, Saltoun Surgery has introduced a strict new rule, as reported by The Times.
Patients have been advised that only urine samples that have been requested by staff will be accepted.
Workers at the surgery have also been concerned about the variety of containers that specimens are handed back in.
Normally, GPs provide patients with sterile sample bottles.
In a statement, the practice manager said: "This change is necessary due to the high volume of inappropriate or unsolicited samples being submitted, which affects our ability to provide timely care to all patients."
But a health agency spokesperson said that the urine samples problem the northeast surgery faces is a much wider issue.
They added that the prospect of a "tsunami of pee in Fraserburgh doesn't really bear thinking about".
The British Medical Council said that "unsolicited urine samples can be an issue" in the GP profession.
Some surgeries have had to distribute instructions with notices in waiting rooms or by issuing text messages to patients.
Glasgow City Council HACKED with fears customer data breached
In some cases, patients have used domestic containers instead of specified sample bottles to collect their pee.
This can increase the likelihood of contamination and potentially compromise sample testing.
The Royal College of General Practitioners offers guidelines for people needing to hand in urine samples.
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