Dr Uddin & Dr Anwar, The Halliwell Surgery - About medical tests and how to get your results

Noticeboard

In August 2023, we had 128 appointments that were not attended. 93.1% of patients attended their booked appointments. Appointments are at a premium and missed appointments could have been used by another patient if we are given adequate notice that the appointment was no longer required. If you need to cancel your appointment, you can call us on 01204 523716, text CANCEL back to your reminder text or visit the practice in person. This help us to maximise appointment availability in the future.

Test Results

Blood Tests

X-Ray

Cancer Screening

Chlamydia Test - 16-24y

Test Results

When you have had tests such as blood tests, urine samples, X-Rays, cervical smears and so on, you should contact the surgery, either by telephone or by coming into the surgery and asking one of the receptionists.

Timescale for receiving test results:

Chest X-rays 5-7 days
Other X-rays 5-7 days
Ultrasound Scans 5-7 days
Pregnancy Tests 3-5 days
Urine Tests 3 days
Stool Samples 5-7 days
Swabs 5-7 days
Bloods tests (routine) 3 days
Smear tests 7-14 days

Please telephone for results after 11:00am. The reason for this is to keep telephone lines free first thing in the morning and in the afternoon for patients requesting appointments/visits.

It is practice policy that the result should be given to the patient only, with the exception of minors. If there is any reason that the patient is unable to request the result his/herself, written consent must be given by the patient to a named person.

Blood Tests

blood_tests_4 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

doctor examining an 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.

Cervical Screening

Cervical screening is also known as a smear test. It is not a test for cancer but it is a test to check the health of the cervix, which is the lower part of the womb - just like you would go to the dentist to check the health of your teeth and gums. It is a simple test which involves taking a small sample of cells from the surface of the cervix to check everything is normal and healthy.

The test is free and offered to all women aged 25 to 64, regardless of sexuality or ethnic background. You will be automatically invited every three years if aged 25 to 49, and every 5 years if aged 50 to 64. An invite will be sent to you, asking you to make an appointment. If you have missed your appointment or have any unusual symptoms, such as irregular bleeding, don’t wait for your invite- contact your GP straight away!

Cervical Screening Leaflet

Bowel Cancer Screening

Why do the NHS offer bowel cancer screening

The NHS offers screening to detect bowel cancer when it is at an early stage in people with no symptoms. This is when treatment is more likely to be effective. Screening can also find polyps. These are abnormal clumps of cells in the bowel. Polyps are not cancers but may develop into cancers over time. Polyps can be easily removed, which reduces the risk of bowel cancer developing. Regular bowel cancer screening reduces the risk of dying from bowel cancer.

Who is eligible

The NHS offers bowel cancer screening using a home testing kit to everyone in England from the age of 60. The GP practice gives us your contact details so please make sure they always have your correct name, date of birth and address. Many GPs also like to have your mobile number and email address.

We offer screening every 2 years between the ages of 60 and 74. We are gradually extending this age range, and people aged 56 are now being invited as part of this process. If you are over 74, you can ask for a kit every 2 years by calling our free helpline on 0800 707 60 60.

For more information or for leaflets in different languages, you can visit Bowel cancer screening: benefits and risks - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Breast Cancer Screening

The Bolton, Bury and Rochdale Breast Screening Programme aims to find breast cancers early. It uses an X-ray test called a mammogram that can spot cancers when they’re too small to see or feel.

The service is part of the NHS Breast Screening Programme which began in 1988. Nationally the programme screens 1.3 million women each year and diagnoses about 10,000 breast cancers annually.

The screening service provides breast screening for women aged 50-71 years once every three years in the areas covered by the Bolton, Bury and Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Groups.

One in seven women will develop breast cancer at some time in their life
80% of breast cancers occur in women over 50
The risk of breast cancer rises as women get older
1,400 lives a year are saved through the breast screening programme.

The Breast Screening Service will send an appointment. If you are unable to attend you can contact them on 01204 390454 or email them at BSU@boltonft.nhs.uk to rearrange.

For more information you can visit

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/breast-screening-information-leaflets#leaflets

Chlamydia Test

Patients in Bolton aged 16-24 year olds, visit the website as per below

https://www.takeatestuk.com/customers/bolton/

Here you can order a postal kit which will be delivered to your home in discreet packaging and can return these by post.

There are 5 easy steps:

Request your test online

Receive your test in the post (discreet packaging)

Provide a sample

Free return to lab

Receive results by text