Specimens are sent to the hospital at 09:45 and 13:15 Monday to Friday. If you are asked to bring in a specimen please ensure that we receive it before these times.

Results of Medical Tests

These may be obtained by ringing 01698 813 873 between 11:00 and 17:00 Monday to Friday. The receptionist may then inform you of the result or she may ask you to arrange an appointment with a doctor to discuss it.

Most blood tests are returned in 1 week and X-rays in 2 weeks.

The practice will only inform patients regarding abnormal results requiring further action.

All cervical smear results will be notified by letter from the Scottish Cervical Call & Recall System. Please note that it takes 4-6 weeks for smear tests to be analysed by the labs and results letters are sent shortly after that.

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 childs 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.

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 x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.