Can anyone help me? I had a blood test done in my GP surgery last week and I went today to ask for the result and get a print out of it. All the receptionist would tell me was that it had come back as "satisfactory" but wouldn't tell me the actual value. I asked for a print out of the test results and that proved problematic - as for the likelihood that it will include a reference range that is nil as the guy didn't understand the concept. I said that I had a legal right to a printout and got the raised eyebrows. I would like to be sure of my ground when I go back for 'round 2', so can anyone give me the legal basis on which we are entitled to a printout of our results [presumably it is something to do with the Data Protection Act?] so that I can quote this to them
Thanks
Written by
Redlester
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Yes you have a legal right to get a print out of your blood results. Some surgeries might charge you some money for the service but if they do I think they are being very unreasonable.
Sorry to hear you are struggling with the heat - I believe today will be a record breaker in London - and hotter than here ! I am fortunate in having a pool and swim lots which keeps me cool from the inside out !
Lucky you, I'm at work. Felt like passing out. Now in the air conditioned canteen😭
Hi there, you are legally entitled to copies of all records under UK information laws. You can download an template for what's called a subject access request form from the information commission website. Or use this template
Letter template
[Your full address]
[Phone number]
[The date]
[Name and address of the organisation]
Dear Sir or Madam
Subject access request
[Your full name and address and any other details to help identify you and the data you want.]
Please supply the data about me that I am entitled to under data protection law relating to: [give specific details of the data you want, for example:
my personnel file
emails between ‘person A’ and ‘person B’ (from 1 June 2017 to 1 Sept 2017)
my medical records (between 2014 and 2017) held by ‘Dr C’ at ‘hospital D’
CCTV camera situated at (‘location E’) on 23 May 2017 between 11am and 5pm
copies of statements (between 2013 and 2017) held in account number xxxxx.]
If you need any more data from me, or a fee, please let me know as soon as possible. It may be helpful for you to know that data protection law requires you to respond to a request for data within one calendar month.
If you do not normally deal with these requests, please pass this letter to your DataProtection Officer, or relevant staff member. If you need advice on dealing with this request, the Information Commissioner’s Office can assist you. Its website is ico.org.uk or it can be contacted on 0303 123 1113.
Perhaps you can advise some members who want to look at their medical records? I haven't looked at mine because I have a good idea what they say about me.
Thanks Mike - this is very helpful - after a lot of faffing they eventually did print out the result for me and I was able to collect it from the surgery. Just as well I asked for that because on reading it, it turned out that they hadn't done the correct test and I will have to go back to GP and start whole process over again with GP appointment, phlebotomy visit and then asking for results again. Gives me more ammunition tho for justifying my request for written results; if I hadn't asked I'd be none the wiser that they hadn't done the test they were supposed to do!!
You have the right under the General Data Protection Regulations( GDPR) of 2018 .Nor do you have to pay.I can see mine online but clearly your practice is very behind the times.
If you want lots of information on your legal rights to your medical records and medical data I would recommend reading posts by DJR1 who has made a special study of the subject and has posted lots of links and useful information. You can read her posts here :
Laughable really, I used to work in medical records and a lot of people has access to your records. When I worked for the service I had to sign a document so I wouldn't disclose any private patient information. It is a sackable offence if you did and one woman looked up her husbands lover in the medical records dept so she could read her notes. My boss found out and she was sacked on the spot.
This is from the NHS site, If they can't provide online access (you will need to sig up for this anyway), they should proviide you with printouts, which will inlcude the ranges as teh GP will have needed these.
I think the GP has to check them before they release them. I find this annoying as the bloods can be back and it takes the GP a couple of weeks to actually looking at them, so I can have them.
It can be annoying but I think the purpose is to make sure there is nothing really scary that would upset the patient and to perhaps call the patient in to break the bad news and be able to discuss the way forward.
I would imagine in my case that A N Other GP in the surgery saw my results and okayed the print out and didn't notice that they hadn't even done the test they were supposed to have done, in which case the "GP has to see results" rule isn't worth the paper it is printed on if the GP who ordered the test isn't the one who reviews it
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Is this legal and how can we get real results?
Help reading blood test results. 
Do I have the legal right to ask for results to be forwarded from secondary care to my GP?
Blood test results
