Consultant Microbiology Input on Positive Blood Cultures

Consultant Microbiology Service Availability and Blood Culture Follow Up

When available, a microbiology consultant follows up all positive blood cultures and proactively contacts clinical teams if changes in antimicrobials are required.

The Microbiology Consultant service operates during the following core hours:

• Monday to Friday, including Public Holidays: 09:00 – 17:00.
  
  
• Saturday and Sunday: 10:00 – 16:00 (subject to staffing availability).
  
  

Ongoing Staff Shortage: Due to significant resource challenges, weekend consultant cover cannot be guaranteed. In the event of a staffing gap, clinical teams must follow the "Weekend/OOH Contingency" protocol.

Communication and Contact Channels

Refer to the Accessing Advice from a Consultant Microbiologist section.

Weekend/OOH Contingency Protocol

If the microbiology consultant is unavailable (outside core hours or during un-covered weekend shifts):

• Clinical Ownership: Clinical teams must proactively review blood culture results at Stage 2 (12–24 hours) and Stage 3 (24–48 hours) via TrakCare / PMS.
  • Do not use Clinical Portal to review microbiology results – formatting may render results difficult to interpret or split them parts of the result into separate entries.

• Processing: The laboratory processes cultures immediately 09:00–21:00; overnight positives are processed the following morning.
  
  
• No Further Notification: The lab phones Stage 1 results but will not phone out further updates at stages 2 or 3.
  
  
• Management: Use management flowcharts below to guide treatment. For patients with NEWS2 ≥7, seek urgent senior review from your own clinical specialty team.
  
  
• Retrospective Review: All results issued between Friday 17:00 and Sunday 21:00 are reviewed by a consultant on Monday morning.