afg ha n afghan journalist talking to me about being stuck in afghanistan. a shortage of blood tubes means gps are having to make difficult choices about who gets blood tests, the british medical association has warned. the bma said shortages across hospitals and gp surgeries were "severe" and if the nhs did not reduce usage in the coming days even the most clinically important blood tests may be at risk. the department of health said it is working to restore normal supply and there continues to be stock in place. one area expected to be affected by the shortage is routine blood tests for allergies. i've been discussing what impact this might have for patients with professor adam fox, president of the british society for allergy and clinical immunology. well, we first heard about a week or so ago about this issue and we were asked to start to consider how this will impact on our practice.