Key Takeaways
- Phlebotomists working with patients are usually asked for an enhanced DBS check, often with a barred list check.
- You cannot apply for an enhanced check on your own; it goes through an employer or registered body.
- Lola staff review each phlebotomist's DBS certificate before approving them on Lola Dispatch.
What Is the DBS?
The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) processes criminal record checks in England and Wales and keeps the lists of people barred from working with children or vulnerable adults. Scotland has Disclosure Scotland and Northern Ireland has AccessNI.
Levels of DBS Check
- Basic — unspent convictions only.
- Standard — spent and unspent convictions, cautions, reprimands and warnings.
- Enhanced — the standard check plus relevant information held by local police.
- Enhanced with barred list check — the enhanced check plus a check of the children's and/or adults' barred lists.
Why Phlebotomists Are Asked for One
Phlebotomists have direct physical contact with patients, some of whom are vulnerable adults or children. Employers and platforms therefore ask for an enhanced check, whether the work is in a hospital, a surgery, a clinic or a patient's home.
How to Apply
An enhanced check has to be submitted through a registered organisation, usually an employer, a training provider or an umbrella body. In outline:
- The organisation starts the application.
- You complete your personal details.
- You provide identity documents, which are checked.
- The DBS runs the checks, including with police forces where relevant.
- The certificate is sent to you.
Applications can take longer if you have lived at many addresses or if a police force holds information it needs to review.
The DBS Update Service
The DBS Update Service is a paid subscription that keeps a certificate current, so an employer can check its status online instead of asking for a new check. You have to join it within a set time of the certificate being issued; the DBS website has the details and current fees.
If You Have a Criminal Record
A criminal record does not automatically stop you working as a phlebotomist. Some old or minor offences are filtered from certificates, and employers are expected to consider each case on its facts. Someone on a barred list, however, cannot work in regulated activity with the group they are barred from.
DBS Checks on Lola Dispatch
Before a phlebotomist is approved on Lola Dispatch, Lola staff review their DBS certificate along with their phlebotomy qualification, insurance, ID and right to work. DBS expiry dates are tracked: reminders go out before a certificate expires, and a phlebotomist is suspended when it does. See also how to become a phlebotomist in the UK.
Booking blood draws for your patients?
Lola Dispatch is an invitation-only platform healthcare businesses use to book mobile blood draws with approved phlebotomists. It does not take bookings from the public.