I have had rheumatoid disease for about nine months now and it has been really difficult to get access to my blood test results. The hospital provide labels, the tests are done at my surgery and the results are sent to the hospital. The overworked team there are reluctant to share the results and my surgery say they cannot see them. I understand that this may be because the computer systems are not compatible.
Does anyone, anywhere have a good experience of getting access to their results so that I can suggest to my Healthcare Trust (Oxfordshire) that best practice exists?
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spartacus101
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Unless I happen to have extra blood tests at the hospital at a consultation my surgery arranges all my blood tests to be done. I pick up the forms from the surgery - tests requested by rheumatology - the blood test is performed at my local hospital phlebotomy dept. and those results go back to the GP and she forwards them to my consultant. Works well here.
There was a time when the hospital ( North and East Herts) would automatically send test results to my GP surgery and I could access them, but that no longer happens . I contacted my rheumatologist's secretary and was told it was to do with the protocol changing (whatever that means - something to do with patient confidentiality maybe? ) and they are no longer able to . She said if I e mailed her when I've had a blood test then she would send the results on to the GP. There was no offer to give me the results.
I access blood results through an app my hospital uses called MyChart. My GP surgery calls me for blood tests and I see the results on the app later that day, usually before my GP gets round to seeing them. I can also see all consultant letters, X-ray result letters etc on there as well as all hospital appointments. I wonder why your hospital doesn’t use it 🤷🏻♀️
Yes I get my results on the NHS app at the time they’re shared between GP and consultant. There have been hiccups and probably will be again but mostly works ok.🤞
I had a similar issue, where my gp kept saying she couldn’t see the results, She could it just meant using a separate app, and she’s very IT challenged. My rheumatologist nurse tried to explain, and said she could see all my gps results and read them off.
They ended up changing shared care for my gp to order the bloods, and they would still be able to monitor. So that is what happens, and I can see my results on the patient access app. If they are in the same health area then the gp should be able to see.
I have bloods at the hospital and have been set up with a log in to see results and can see letters however we will see how the gp hospital shared care works as I ask hospital for a referral and they say go to gp.
I have the same problem. If my bloods are done by the GP I can view them on the NHS App, but if I have them done at the hospital I can't get to see them as they are put on a different system, called ICE I think. I have asked for them previously and they sent them to me .but it was a struggle!
I had this problem until I made a complaint to my practice. They are on different systems but can be read by the GP. Make a complaint and ask them to be available to you. It is not difficult to upload them onto the sytem you have access to. However someone needs to imput the data and know how to do it.Ask your consultant for physical copies when you see the consultant too. So annoying.
I was told blood results are on a system called ICE. When I had covid and spoke on phone to the Dr at the hospital who was prescribing the anti virals he had to go into that to see my blood results as they aren't on GP record. He said the GP can access them but not download them. My GP can't be bothered to look at them. I'm in Leicestershire. Daft system.
I’m in Leicestershire too and I’ve had so many fights (well nice creeping phone calls) about this, with my GP rheumy and immunology. I’ve had very abnormal results before which have been missed by everyone, luckily if I take my hospital bloods to the GP’s to be done I can usually see the results but not if I have them done at the hospital. Absolutely crackers system and pretty dangerous too.
I was having mine done at the GP but still couldn't get results. I have to go to hospital as my GP surgery are being difficult. They are either fully booked for weeks ahead or they will no longer give me an appointment after midday. I have to work in the mornings.
I am in Gloucestershire and had this problem. At one point no one would give me my blood test results. The GP actually point blank refused.
I had had a reaction to sulphasalazine so it was really important to get the test results. When I showed up for the next test two weeks later I told the nurse I didn't know if I needed the blood tests because I hadn't had the results from the last ones to see whether the sulpha had affected my liver, explaining how everyone reused to give them to me.
She said, 'Oh, that's ridiculous, there are sitting right there on ICE! I will print them off for you.'
She was new, I suspect they will beat the helpfulness out of her eventually! LOL!
Interestingly, this tension between primary care and secondary care is playing out right now with meetings between the two in Glos to try to sort things out. I want to make sure they have a patient rep at those meetings too, so that they can make sure the system is fit for purpose for the rheumys, the nurses, the GPs AND the patients!
I can access any local results done by my GP or hospital via the NHS App. However my Rheumatologist is in a different area so any tests that are done there I am unable to access. It’s frustrating as how can we be pro active if we don’t have the facts in front of us.
My RA hospital do my fortnightly blood tests but doesn’t share with my GP for the same protocol reasons that others have referred to I assume, although I do phone the RA team a few days after they’ve done the blood test to ask them to send me the results. I am then able to share these with my GP in hard copy if required and I also get to keep track of my results.
Have a similar issue but hospital will not send my results as they’re not allowed. They did say that my GP can get the results if they log onto a different system but they never do so they’re unchecked by almost everyone. I have asked GP to print me a copy off but have to fight past the red tape and receptionist. The system is very floored. My GP knows I’m severely immune suppressed but hasn’t ever got my blood results from immunology even though I’ve asked them constantly to add a copy to consultation letter they send them. As others have said how are we supposed to flags things that go unchecked if we don’t have access. I’ve NEVER self medicated but I have had to point out that my infection markers are through the roof and sputum samples have been flagged that I need a certain antibiotic.
sorry no, in-fact my experience is the same as yours. Hospital say they share data with GP so I can access it. Surgery says nothing from hospital to share and anyway they don’t give information out other than by phone which I’m surprised they know how to use 😖
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