Test Results

If your test results show that you need more tests or treatment, we will contact you.

Once a doctor has reviewed your test results, you can view them:

• in your NHS account (through the NHS website or NHS App)
• in your [Insert name of practice system tool] account
• phone or visit us between 10am to 4pm and we will tell you what the results are

Questions about your results

If you want to talk to someone about your results, fill out our test results request form and someone will be in touch.

When you attend for a test of any kind you will be told how long you should expect to wait for the results. Please bear this in mind and only call the surgery after sufficient time has elapsed.

Our reception staff are not qualified to comment on results therefore it is your responsibility to check them and make any necessary follow-up appointment with the doctor.

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.

When you have had tests such as blood tests, urine samples, X-Rays, cervical smears and so on, you should contact the surgery, either by telephone or by coming into the surgery and asking one of the receptionists.

Timescale for receiving test results:

• Chest X-rays 5-7 days
• Other X-rays 5-7 days
• Ultrasound Scans 5-7 days
• Pregnancy Tests 3-5 days
• Urine Tests 3 days
• Stool Samples 5-7 days
• Swabs 5-7 days
• Bloods tests (routine) 3 days
• Smear tests 7-14 days

Please telephone for results after 11:00am. The reason for this is to keep telephone lines free first thing in the morning and in the afternoon for patients requesting appointments/visits.

A blood test is when a sample of blood is taken for testing in a laboratory. Blood tests have a wide range of uses and are one of the most common types of medical test. For example, a blood test can be used to:

• assess your general state of health
• confirm the presence of a bacterial or viral infection
• see how well certain organs, such as the liver and kidneys, are functioning

A blood test usually involves the phlebotomist taking a blood sample from a blood vessel in your arm and the usual place for a sample is the inside of the elbow or wrist, where the veins are relatively close to the surface. Blood samples from children are most commonly taken from the back of the hand. The childs hand will be anaesthetised (numbed) with a special cream before the sample is taken.

You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS Choices website.

An X-ray is a widely used diagnostic test to examine the inside of the body. X-rays are a very effective way of detecting problems with bones, such as fractures. They can also often identify problems with soft tissue, such as pneumonia or breast cancer.

If you have an X-ray, you will be asked to lie on a table or stand against a surface so that the part of your body being X-rayed is between the X-ray tube and the photographic plate.

An X-ray is usually carried out by a radiographer, a healthcare professional who specialises in using imaging technology, such as X-rays and ultrasound scanners.

You can find out more about x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.