Blood, urine tests, x-rays and ultrasounds are commonly arranged by the practice team when deemed clinically appropriate. When a test of any kind is requested for you by a member of the surgery team you should be advised how long it will take for results to be processed by the hospital and then reviewed by us. If you are not advised please ask them before your consultation ends. Most results take up to seven days to be returned but some may take longer.
Where possible please do not use an online consultation form or phone for test results. They are available directly to you through the NHS app or Patient Access along with your full medical records (once enabled). NHS England are investing in increasing the information available to patients via their preferred app, which is the NHS app. We would recommend patients use this.
It may take a couple of working days for your GP to review your results in full and comment on them once we have received them. We thank you for your patience.
NHS App
Download the NHS App, or open the NHS website in a web browser, to set up and log in to your NHS account. Owned and run by the NHS, your NHS account is a simple and secure way to access a range of NHS services online, including appointments, prescriptions and health record.
The clinician reviewing your results will contact you directly if your test result is abnormal and requires further discussion. Our Reception staff are not qualified to comment on results.
It is possible for test results to go missing due to human or computer errors along the pathway of the test being undertaken to the result being reviewed. We do not currently have the technology in the NHS to check that individual test requests come back to us. Therefore it is your responsibility to check your results online and make any necessary follow-up appointments.
Tests not ordered by the practice e.g. Hospital, Clinic, Community team and Private tests
The responsibility for following up and communicating a test result lies with the clinician who has requested the test. For example if a test is arranged in hospital, it is the responsibility of the hospital to communicate the result of this test to you. Hospital test results are not sent directly to the surgery. The same principles apply for other clinics, community team clinicians and private medical care providers.
Unfortunately, sometimes a patient is told by non-surgery staff that they should “Follow up your test results with your GP”. It is highly unusual for this to be the appropriate advice.
• Before you leave the hospital, community or private appointment, please ask how long the test results may take to come and how they will be communicated to you.
• If you wait for these test results longer than you were expecting; please contact the hospital or community clinic or consultant’s secretary directly to chase these as they are in by far the best place to give appropriate advice
• Please do not contact the surgery about them because the results will not be there
Please note that we do have a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection. In this respect we will only give out results to the person they relate to unless that person has given prior permission for their release or if they are not capable of understanding them.
Information about your laboratory tests
For information on what your laboratory test results mean please visit Lab Tests Online.
Specimens
All specimens must be provided in a suitable container and marked clearly with name, date of birth, date provided and reason for the specimen.
Failure to do so may mean that the test will need to be repeated – Please note that when bringing in a sample to the surgery, only samples in the correct container can be accepted. These are available from reception.