The Warfarin monitoring service is delivered by East Lancashire Alliance – facilitated by nurses and clinicians working closely with your GP, hospital teams, and community services. Your care remains connected to your own GP practice at all times.
What is Warfarin?
Warfarin is a medication that slows down the blood clotting process, preventing clots from forming or growing larger. It is commonly prescribed for conditions such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE), atrial fibrillation, or after certain surgeries to reduce the risk of stroke or other complications caused by clots. Warfarin may also be used in patients at high risk of developing clots in the future.
Warfarin monitoring and blood tests
Warfarin requires regular blood tests to measure your INR (International Normalised Ratio), which indicates how long it takes your blood to clot. Your dose may be adjusted based on these results to keep the INR level within a target range specific to your condition.
What to expect at your appointment
If you’re attending your appointment in clinic, one of our nurses will conduct a finger prick test and provide your results instantly.
The nurse will advise any changes to your Warfarin dosage and schedule your next monitoring appointment.
Remember:
- Always attend scheduled blood tests.
- Always bring your yellow ‘oral anticoagulant therapy booklet to clinic.
Housebound patient information
For housebound patients, we will arrange for a district nurse to visit you at your home to collect a venous blood sample. The sample is then sent for testing with results typically received within two to three days.
A nurse will then contact you to share your results, advise any changes to your Warfarin dosage, and schedule your next monitoring appointment.
