Tests

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 contact the Surgery, once sufficient time has elapsed.

There are a number of ways to get your results:

You can view your test results via your NHS App once they have been reviewed by a clinician.

You can send an Admin request through our online service PATCHS  to request a copy of your test results are sent to you.

You can call the surgery General enquiries line after 10.30am. You will be asked for some personal details to confirm your identity. The receptionist has the right to refuse the release of medical information if he/she feels that it does not pertain to the person calling. We hope that our patients find our high standards of confidentiality satisfactory with regard to releasing this type of information.

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.

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.

Understanding Your Test Results

• • Satisfactory, no action needed

• • Already dealt with

• • Reception to contact patient, not urgent

• • Final results still awaited, check back later

You might see any of the above comments when looking at your test results online. We thought it would be useful to explain what these comments mean to avoid confusion.

Satisfactory, no action needed

We use this term rather than ‘normal’ because often there are values that are outside the ‘normal’ range given by the lab. However, this often doesn’t mean that there is anything wrong at all. Your GP will have reviewed your results and is happy that no further action is required.

Already dealt with

Sometimes you may have already discussed a particular result with another GP or consultant, or action has already been taken with regards to your tests. You do not need to do anything else.

Reception to contact patient, not urgent.

This is a message from a GP to our reception team so that they can contact you with a specific message, for example to repeat a test or make an appointment. This will not be an urgent mater and you should wait 2 weeks to hear from reception with the specific advice. If you have not heard after 2 weeks, please call reception in the afternoon to discuss.

Final results still awaited, check back later

This is the case for example with urine results. We usually get a preliminary result, but the final result confirming an infection, for example may take a few more days to come through to us.

Further information about your laboratory tests

For further information on what your laboratory test results mean please visit Lab Tests Online.

What are urine samples used for?

Your GP or another healthcare professional may ask for a urine sample to help them diagnose or rule out health conditions. Urine contains waste products that are filtered out of the body. If it contains anything unusual, this may indicate an underlying health condition. Common reasons for being asked to provide a urine sample include;

• to diagnose or monitor certain conditions such as type 2 diabetes
• to check for a urinary tract infection (UTI)
• to check for a sexually transmitted infection (STI)
• to confirm that you are pregnant

What do I need to know about collecting a urine sample?

If you are in the practice your GP or nurse will give you a container and explain  how to collect a urine sample. On certain occasions you might be asked to provide a urine sample by letter or over the phone. In these instances you can collect a sample container from our reception desk.

To collect a clean urine sample you should:

• label the container with your name, date of birth and the date
• wash your hands
• wash your genitalia to avoid contamination
• start to urinate but don’t collect the first part of urine that comes out
• collect a sample of urine ‘mid-stream’ in a sample container provided by the practice
• screw the lid of the container shut
• wash your hands thoroughly

As long as the sample is clean and properly labelled you can drop the sample container in at the reception desk. If you can’t hand your urine sample in within an hour, you should keep it in a sealed plastic bag in the fridge (for no longer than 24 hours) to prevent bacteria multiplying and affecting the test results.

You can collect a urine sample at any time of day unless your GP or practice nurse advises you otherwise. If your doctor gives you any other instructions, you should also follow these.

What is a mid-stream urine sample?

A mid-stream urine sample means that you don’t collect the first part of urine that comes out or the last part. This reduces the risk of the sample being contaminated with bacteria from:

• your hands
• the skin around the urethra (tube that carries urine out of the body)

How long will I have to wait for a result?

Many urine samples can be quickly analysed using dipstick analysis so you should know the result immediately if you are in the practice or within 24 hours if you have dropped a urine sample off to us.

For some more complex tests we need to send your urine sample off for laboratory testing at one of the local hospitals. In these instances it might take up to 5 days for results to come back to the practice. These are sent electronically and are checked every day by our GPs. If there is a cause for concern we will phone or write to you within 24 hours of receiving the result. We will not routinely inform you if the results are normal.

Sometimes your GP might want to have an image of what is happening inside your body. This means that we will need to send you for an X-Ray or a scan. These procedures are explained below:

X-Ray

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 your internal organs such as your lungs.

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 website.

MRI Scan

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a type of scan that uses strong magnetic fields and radio waves to produce detailed images of the inside of the body. An MRI scanner is a large tube that contains powerful magnets. An MRI scan can be used to examine almost any part of the body, including the:

• brain and spinal cord
• bones and joints
• breasts
• heart and blood vessels
• internal organs, such as the liver, womb or prostate gland

If you have an MRI scan you will lie inside the scanner and you will be able to talk to the radiographer through an intercom and they will be able to see you on a television monitor throughout the scan.

At certain times during the scan, the scanner will make loud tapping noises. This is the electric current in the scanner coils being turned on and off. You will be given earplugs or headphones to wear. It is very important that you keep as still as possible during your MRI scan. The scan will last between 15 and 90 minutes, depending on the size of the area being scanned and how many images are taken.

You can read more about how MRI scans work on the NHS website.

Ultrasound Scan

An ultrasound scan, sometimes called a sonogram, is a procedure that uses high frequency sound waves to create an image of part of the inside of the body. 

As sound waves are used rather than radiation, ultrasound scans are commonly used during pregnancy to produce images of the baby in the womb.

Ultrasound scans can also be used to:

• detect heart problems
• examine other parts of the body such as the liver, kidneys and abdomen
• help guide a surgeon performing some types of biopsy

Most ultrasound scans don’t take long to perform, typically between 15 and 45 minutes. Your ultrasound scan will generally take place in an X-ray department in hospital and will normally be performed either by a sonographer. A sonographer is a specialist trained in the use of ultrasound, who will provide a descriptive report for the doctor to make a diagnosis.

If you have an external ultrasound scan, a small handheld device called a transducer is placed onto you skin, and moved over the part of the body being examined.  A lubricating gel is put onto your skin to allow the transducer to move smoothly. Pulses of ultrasound are sent from a probe in the transducer, through your skin and into your body. They then bounce back from the structures of your body to be displayed as an image on the monitor.

Before having some types of ultrasound scan, you may be asked to follow certain instructions before the procedure, such as:

• drink water and not go to the toilet until after the test – this is to fill your bladder and may be needed before a scan of your unborn baby or your pelvic area
• avoid eating for several hours before the scan – this may be needed before a scan of your abdomen to lower the amount of air and gas in your stomach or bowel and enable your gallbladder to be better assessed
• depending on the area of your body being examined, the hospital may also ask you to remove some clothing and wear a hospital gown.

If you would like to understand more about ultrasound scans, when they are used and how they work, please visit the NHS website.

Blood tests can either be booked at the surgery or at one of the Phlebotomy clinics within the hospital.

Local hospitals no longer offer a walk in service and offer a booking system via Swiftqueue.

For anyone not able to access the online booking system you can call 01727 897 376 between 9am and 1pm to book an appointment.

Please ensure you let the clinician know which hospital you would like to go to as they have different forms to take to your appointment.