In this article:
- Having a medical test
- Preparing for a test
- Testing in clinic
- Testing at a hospital
- Getting your test results
- Get a copy of your test results
Having a medical test
Your clinician might recommend you to have a medical test to:
- Find out what’s causing your symptoms
- Screen for a specific condition or health problem
- Check your general health
- Monitoring of a long term condition or if you are on certain medications
The process will be different depending on the type of test, but you’ll usually need to visit one of our clinics.
Preparing for a test
The clinician or hospital who arranges your test will tell you whether there are any specific instructions you need to follow before your test.
It's important to follow the instructions you're given, as it may affect the result of the test and mean it needs to be delayed or carried out again.
Testing in clinic
Types of tests available at our clinics:
- blood tests
- toenail clippings
- stool (poo)
- urine and swabs
If needed, your clinician will send you an invitation to book a blood test at one of our clinics.
You can book your test at any of our clinics.
Most blood tests only take a few minutes to complete and will be carried out by one of our trained clinicians.
Find out more about blood tests.
Your clinician may refer you to collect a test kit from one of our clinics to investigate your symptoms further. In most cases, you won't need an appointment.
You can collect your kit from and drop off your sample to any of our clinics.
All our clinics have private facilities on site for you to collect a sample.
If you’d prefer, you can also take your test kit home and drop it back to the clinic before 4:00pm, Monday to Friday (excluding Bank Holidays).
We don’t have the facility to store stool samples in the clinics after 4:00pm. If you collect the sample after this time, please drop it off as soon as possible the next morning.
You can also drop it off at one of these hospitals:
- Charing Cross Hospital, Fulham Palace Road, W6 8RF
- Hammersmith Hospital, Du Cane Road, W12 0HS
- St. Mary’s Hospital, Praed Street, W2 1NY
At the hospital, you should ask for directions to the pathology sample reception.
Testing at a hospital
Most tests can be done at one of our clinics. However, a clinician might refer you to a hospital or specialist for some types of tests. For example, scans such as an X-Ray.
You’ll usually need an appointment for these types of tests. Depending on where you have been referred to for the test will depend on how you will be contacted to arrange the appointment.
Find out more about how referrals work.
Getting your test results
We’ll usually get your results in 1 or 2 weeks, but it depends on the circumstances and type of test you have.
How long it typically takes to receive certain test results:
- X-rays: 1 to 2 weeks
- Blood test results: 5 days (it’ll likely take longer for some tests, such as tests for rheumatology conditions like arthritis)
- Toenail clippings: 4 weeks
- Stool (poo) sample: 10 days
- Urine and swaps: 5 days
If you’re having a test for more than one condition, the results may come back at different times.
In line with standard NHS practice, we won’t contact you if your results are normal.
If you haven’t heard anything in around 2 weeks (4 weeks for toenail clipping tests), you can assume your result is normal.
View or get a copy of your test results
You can view your test results in the NHS App. Our online guide about using the NHS app covers how to get access to your records.
If you need help with getting your results, please contact our support team.