You are welcome to use e-Consult on the homepage or call 01522 543943 after 10:00 to enquire about your test results as our staff will have more time to help you at this time.  On average please allow 7 working days for your test results to come back from the hospital and 2 weeks for any test results to be reviewed by the clinician, unless your doctor has advised otherwise.  Unfortunately, sometimes, we cannot always give you full results over the phone.  If the result is complicated, or if the doctor wants to see you about the result, we will offer you an appointment.  Please remember it is your responsibility to check your results are back 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.

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.

You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS 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.   An x-ray can often take longer to come back; sometimes up to 21 days.

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.

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