Results

GP Blood Service – Appointment Only

St Luke’s Hospital Children’s Outpatients provide a blood test service for children aged 0-11 years. You must make an appointment, there is no ‘drop-in’ service.

Please ring  01274 365469 to book your child’s blood test appointment.

Phone lines are open Monday-Friday 10am-11am. There is an answerphone available if you ring outside these times.

When you attend the surgery for a test of any kind, please bear in mind that it could take 1-2 weeks for your results to be ready. Results for some tests may take longer.

The practice will not automatically contact you unless your result needs further action. If you have not heard from the practice, generally you can assume that there is no significant abnormality, but you may want to confirm this by ringing the practice or checking online.

Please ring the secretarial team direct on 01274 032098 either between 10am and 11am or between 2:30pm and 3:30pm Monday-Friday if you are awaiting test results.

Our reception staff are not qualified to interpret results, however, they may convey messages from clinicians who file the result, or it may be necessary to arrange a follow-up appointment with the clinician.

If you are signed up to SystmOnline (the online appointment booking service) then you can also use this system to check your results. If you would like to sign up for SystmOnline please speak to reception.

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 here.

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.

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