Test Results

Please call between 11:00 and 15:30 to enquire about your test results as our reception staff will have more time to deal with your request between these times. The doctor will have usually written a note on your records telling the receptionist what to say. If you wish to clarify anything after the receptionist has conveyed this message then a telephone or face to face consultation with a doctor or nurse can be arranged.

Blood results usually come back to us within 48 hours. Infection results- urine or swabs or other samples- usually take five days. Simple x-ray tests can take two weeks for us to get a report back, MRI and CT scans can take three weeks.

We may sometimes contact you again to ask for a test to be repeated. This does not mean that anything is necessarily wrong but that sometimes there can be difficulties in processing a sample in the laboratory and we need to do it again.

Smear results are posted to you directly unless you have stated you do not wish this to happen.

Note that the practice has a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection and we will only release test results to the person to whom they relate unless that person has given prior permission for the release of this data or they are not capable of understanding the results.

When you take your test you will be told how long it will be before the results are returned to the practice.

It is your responsibility to check your results and to make an appointment to discuss them with your doctor if your are advised to do so.

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 Choices website.

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 Choices website.

You will be able to attend for simple x-rays and ultrasound scans at Malton Hospital, York and Scarborough Hospitals. More complex tests such as CT scans and MRI scans and imaging requiring injections are only done at main hospital sites

We are able to offer ECG, 24 hour ECG, home blood pressure monitoring and spirometry ( lung function testing) facilities at the surgery to reduce the need to travel to other sites for tests.

We offer a full in house warfarin management service using a finger prick blood sample where you can have your test done and dose determined in a one stop clinic appointment.