Any necessary blood or other tests are taken at the practice and we also arrange for these to be transported to the Hospital for you. If you have been advised to provide a specimen by a doctor or nurse you may then hand this in via reception at either surgery. Please ensure that you label any specimens submitted. The lab will reject unlabelled specimens. 

Please do not hand in a specimen without being advised to do so as clinical guidelines require that we have considered why we are sending the specimen prior to despatch.

At either site the courier collects specimens at about 1.30pm and it is important that all specimens are collected and labelled before this point.

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 SystmOnline account
• call our dedicated results line at the surgery between 1pm and 2pm Monday to Friday.
• fill out our test results request form and someone will be in touch.

The results of your blood tests should be available one week after the test has been sent to the laboratory. The telephone line is not available to take your calls at other times. Results will only be given via this telephone number and not through reception.

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.