Please telephone the practice between 08:00 and 18.00 Monday to Friday to obtain the results for your investigations (Whenever possible please call outwith our peak surgery times ie 11am - 1pm and 4pm - 6pm). You should telephone one week after the test has been carried out. The doctor will usually advise the receptionist of your results, allowing information to be passed to you over the telephone.

Sometimes the doctor may want to discuss your result with you and you may be asked to make an appointment.

Where appropriate the doctor may wish to speak to you by telephone. The reason for this is that some laboratory results are complicated to translate and are therefore better explained by your doctor.

Specimens may be left with the reception desk before 14.00 Monday to Friday. Please ensure that the specimen containers are properly labelled as investigations will not be carried out on unlabelled specimens. Some samples, eg urine and swabs are best taken in the morning.

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 childs hand is usually 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 inform website.

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 an 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.