Please allow one week before contacting the surgery regarding your test results unless advised otherwise by your doctor as this allows enough time for most standard requests to be processed.

To enquire regarding your results please telephone for results after 14:00. This allows the doctors time to look at the results and to add a message on your screen advising you what to do next. You will not necessarily be contacted about your results, it is your responsibility to contact us.

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

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.

X-rays

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 blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS website.

24 Hour ECGs

The Tewkesbury practices have been part of a scheme since May 2011 to provide patients with a 24 hour ECG service initiated at the surgery if this test is required by your doctor. This test previously required patients to attend the hospital.

All patients are therefore able to attend for fitting of the ECG equipment in a routine practice nurse clinic and return the following day at the same time for removal. The recording is subsequently sent via the internet for analysis and the result returned to your GP within five working days.

The benefits of this service are :

• A much speedier appointment following GP request for the test.
• Convenience of having the equipment fitted and removed at the surgery.
• A quick turnaround of result sent directly to the GP.