Prestbury Medical Practice - About medical tests and how to get your results

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Urgent News about blood tests - 27.08.21

There is a national shortage of blood bottles which is expected to last until at least 17th September 2021. We have been advised by the NHS to postpone all non-urgent blood tests. We will advise you if we feel that you urgently require a blood test and advise you when the situation changes. This situation is out of our control; thank you for your patience.

COVID 19 Update August 2021

July 19th 2021 is when all restrictions for COVID were removed. The practice is a high risk environment and we are keen to maintain a safe and healthy place for you to be. Please help us to keep you and those around you safe. Masks - the continued wearing of masks is current government guidance and is strongly recommended. Please wear your mask if you come into the practice for any reason. Social distancing - we will continue to promote social distance awareness. Please use chairs available in the waiting area, which are separated for distance purposes. If there is no seating left, please consider waiting outside until one becomes available. Hand Sanitiser - this will continue to be provided. Please use when entering the building and when leaving. Your help with keeping us safe is appreciated. Many thanks.

Test Results

Blood Tests

X-Ray

Test Results

Getting the results of a test organised by the Practice:

test_vials2

All results are checked by the doctors. A comment is then made on your notes.
Please ring in the afternoon after 3.00 pm (when our phone lines are quietest) and the receptionist will read the doctor’s comment about your test to you.
It is YOUR responsibility to ring us to check the results of your test, as follow up may be needed.
You will only be contacted by us if your results require further action.
Please ensure we have correct contact details for you (especially mobile telephone) in case we do need to contact you.
If you want/need to discuss a test result with a GP we would be happy to do this over the phone. Telephone appointments are available either on the day or pre-booked with the GP who ordered the test unless there is a good reason why they cannot follow up your problem

Length of time before test results come back:

Some tests take longer to return to the practice than others. Please allow the following time to ensure all of your results are likely to be back:

Blood tests 7 days
X-rays 2 weeks
Ultrasound scans 2 weeks
CT or MRI scans 1 month
Heart scans 2 weeks
ECGs (heart traces) 1 week
Urine samples for infection 1 week
Swabs for infections 1 week
Nail clippings for fungal infection 8 weeks
Smear results 8 weeks (the NHS always writes to you about these results)

Getting the results of tests organised by the hospital:

Sometimes patients have investigations that have been arranged by hospital consultants. The results from these tests do not automatically get forwarded onto GPs.

If you want to know the result of a test you have had under the care of a consultant you can phone the hospital and ask to speak to your consultant's secretary. They are often able to get permission to forward the results onto the practice so that we can let you know the results. If you give them a couple of days to do this, then ring the practice we can discuss the results with you over the phone.

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.

Blood Tests

blood_tests_4 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 child's hand will be anaesthetised (numbed) with a special cream before the sample is taken.

It is your responsibility to contact the surgery for results of tests. You will be only be contacted by the surgery if a result needs further investigation.

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

X-Ray

doctor examining an 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 soft tissue, such as pneumonia or breast cancer.

If you have a 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.

It is your responsibility to contact the surgery for results of your x-ray, scan or ultrasound. The surgery will contact you if the result requires further action. This may be by letter or a phone call, asking you to make an appointment or telephone consultation.

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

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Test Results

Getting the results of a test organised by the Practice:

Getting the results of tests organised by the hospital:

Blood Tests

X-Ray

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Test Results

Getting the results of a test organised by the Practice:

Getting the results of tests organised by the hospital:

Blood Tests

X-Ray