Routine Monitoring Tests
The doctors in this practice monitor patients who are on certain medications or who have been diagnosed with an illness according to national guidelines where these exist.
In June 2018 we began calling our patients for their annual review checks in the month of their birth as this has been shown to help people remember when their usual health check is due.
If results show as ‘abnormal’ when you look via our online patient access portal please ensure you look at the doctors comments as they may be acceptable for you and your doctor will indicate this in the comments section.
If you are diabetic please know your foot check is part of the Annual Review by Nurse and you will also have a blood test every 6 months. Your eye test by the specialist retinopathy service will be sent separately on an annual basis.
If you collect you medication from the surgery there will be information printed on the label on your medication. This tells you how to take the medication. If you do not understand any of the abbreviations which we have to use so that they fit on the label, please ask one of our receptionists or dispensary staff to explain.
If you collect medication from Pharmacy this information will be printed on the right hand side of your green NHS prescription form.
Broadly the following checks are needed. Only the most common ones are given as an example:
- Blood tests Thyroid function tests (TFTs) are needed yearly.
- Random cholesterol is done yearly only if you have diabetes or have had a stroke or heart attack etc otherwise it will not need to be done more often than 5 yearly, even if you are taking medication to lower it. Random means that you do not need to fast unless your Dr has specified this.
Below are all tests whose frequency will depend on your illness or medication.
- U&Es a test of kidney function.
- Full blood count (FBC)
- Liver function tests (LFTs)
Urine tests: these can either be to check for urinary infection, or to check how well your kidneys are working particularly if you have diabetes, if previous tests have suggested that your kidney function might need to be monitored.
Results
Please ensure that you call the surgery for your results, do not wait to be contacted by your Doctor. Please call after 5pm for test results.
- Blood tests: please call 5 working days after the test.
- Urine results: please call one week after the sample was sent to the laboratory
- Chest X-ray: please call one week after test
- General X-rays: usually available after one week but can take a little longer to report
- Fungal studies: up to 12 weeks for a result
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 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.