Timescales for Routine Test results
Following a test, we may be anxious to know the results as quickly as possible. However, it is vital that you allow sufficient time for test results to be processed, returned to the practice and reviewed by clinical staff and the following minimum timescales apply:
- Blood and Urine tests (5 working days after receipt by the lab)
- X-Rays (10 working days after scan)
- MRI, Ultrasound and CT (15 working days after investigation)
- Cervical Smear (4 to 5 weeks from date of smear)
How to get your test results
If your results are normal, we will not routinely call to advise you. You will be contacted by the GP if there are any queries about your results.
If you wish to call us about your results once the minimum timescale has elapsed, please call the surgery after 2pm. However, it is important that you do not make an appointment to follow these up unless you have been requested to do so by the GP or nurse.
Sometimes we cannot give full results over the phone. If the result is complicated, or if the doctor wants to see you about the result, we will offer you an appointment.
Please note that for reasons of patient confidentiality, we are only able to disclose results to the patient concerned or to a named individual for whom the patient has given us written permission to disclose such medical information.
Referrals
If you are calling about expediting a referral, please ensure you have contacted the hospital directly in the first instsance. The appropriate contact details to do this can be found on your letter from the hospital.
Please note your referral has already been triaged by the hospital, as such we are usually unable to help expedite this unless your situation has changed dramatically.
HOSPITAL 'EXPEDITE LETTERS'
Millions of outpatient appointments and treatments have been delayed in NHS hospitals during the pandemic. When patients contact the hospital, they are sometimes told to ask their GP for an ‘expedite letter’. This is frustrating for you and for us, and we cannot guarantee that this will result in your appointment being brought forward.
Only the hospital can compare your needs with those of other patients on their waiting list and they will action your request accordingly.
If you want to inform a hospital of a change in your symptoms, you may use the templates below when contacting the hospital. One is for patients waiting for a first appointment with a specialist, the second is for patients waiting for a follow-up appointment, treatment, or operation. You should post your letter to either Outpatient Appointments (for first appointments) or your consultant’s secretary (for follow-up care).
Letter for a first appointment with a specialist:
Dear Consultant,
I am awaiting care from you for <Write your original problem here>. I have been referred by my GP at Chevin Medical Practice.
I await an appointment and / or treatment but report the following change in my condition since my referral was sent to you:
<Explain briefly what has changed since your referral>
I request that you take the following action.
• Review my hospital notes alongside this letter to determine whether my care might be expedited
• Contact me directly to inform me of the outcome of that decision, and my likely wait for further care
• File this letter and document your decision in my medical record.
Letter for a for a follow-up appointment:
Dear Consultant,
I am receiving care from you for <Write your original problem here>.
I await a follow-up appointment and / or treatment but report the following change in my condition since your last contact with me:
<Explain briefly what has changed since your last contact with the specialist>
I request that you take the following action:
• Review my hospital notes alongside this letter to determine whether my care might be expedited
• Contact me directly to inform me of the outcome of that decision, and me likely wait for further care
• File this letter and document your decision in my medical record.
Additional Contact Information:
Contact us - Harrogate and District NHS Foundation Trust (hdft.nhs.uk)
In the event of a change in a potentially life-threatening health condition – for example, a known cancer, or heart or lung symptoms – please contact Chevin Medical Practice, 999 or 111 in the first instance.
