Blood tests - time taken

[HowNowWhatNow]

How long does it take for basic blood tests to be done in the community and for the results to return to the GP, in your experience, on average?

The bloods I had tested were FBC, thyroid panel, iron panel and B12.

Mine were done on Friday and I need - pretty urgently - to get the results back.

Inside hospitals you get results back within the day - and outside hospitals?

[SlowDragon Administrator]

They may already be with GP

Have you spoken to receptionist

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to SlowDragon]

Thank you. I will check.

I am on hold to speak to the GP receptionist - 20 minutes and counting now. Yesterday the wait time was 50 minutes.

Unbelievable: the GP system has collapsed and - just like empty shelves in supermarkets - this has become another normal feature of life now.

[kittyelen]

They say get the test done a week before but normally back in a few days (I try and get my test sat/sun so they have the result for my Thurs apt). I have had it before where it has shown my results the next day on my GP online portal so they can be pretty quick depending on how busy they are I guess.

Ask the receptionist to sign up for online results, it is sooo much easier than calling them and easier to keep track. I request my repeats online most places make it available now. I am guessing was it the GP who requested these? If not then endo would be separate to gp portal

[nellie237]

Mine usually appear online early evening the day after the blood draw...so, within 48hrs. Some take a bit longer ie HbA1c

[HowNowWhatNow]

Thank you. Amazing - mine (not cortisol / testosterone though) just took two business days.

[tattybogle]

Mine for TSH/fT4 are usually back with GP the next day , ( from local hospital lab ) I have once had TSH/ fT4 done at midday Saturday , and had a 9am Sunday morning phone call from my GP to shout at me about my dose ... very efficient.

(fT3 when occasionally done seems to take a day or two longer)

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to tattybogle]

Holy cow!

[serenfach]

3-5 days here. That is down from 3 weeks last summer. And then getting the results out of the practice is usually another week.

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to serenfach]

3-5 days down from 3 weeks last summer. Sounds like TOTP, if you were ever a TOTP fan?

[gemma29806]

I got a blood test on Friday and got a phone call on Monday.

[serenfach]

We were only allowed an hour a day TV, so had to choose between TOTP or Man from Uncle...

Now you know I am officially old...

[HowNowWhatNow in reply to serenfach]

Good choice of 2, however. We were only allowed one hour a week, on our black and white TV, if we were very lucky! We didn’t sleep 5 to a bed though.