Access Your Test Results

Getting your test results

Once a doctor has reviewed your test results, you can:

  • Phone General Enquiries on 028 91823020 option 4
  • General Enquiries opening hours are 11 am – 12.30 pm or 2pm – 4 pm daily

We will contact you by text, or by letter, only if a result is abnormal and you require treatment or further investigations. You will not be contacted if your result is normal.

Smear test results can take up to 4 weeks or more.

Your doctor will review your results and leave a brief note, which our reception team can share with you. The administrative staff will give results to you or you may be asked to speak to the nurse, pharmacist or doctor. Please note that our receptionists are not medically trained to interpret results or provide medical advice. If you would like to discuss your results further, please book a routine results call with your doctor.

When you contact us for test results, our team will ask a few simple questions to confirm your identity and ensure we are sharing confidential information with the right person. These checks are purely to protect your privacy and support your care.

Adults’ results will not be given to anyone other than the patient, except in exceptional circumstances.

How long do blood test results take?

For most routine blood tests, your samples are sent to the hospital laboratory for analysis. You can generally expect the results to be processed, sent back, and reviewed by a GP within 3 to 7 working days.

  • Routine Bloods (2 to 3 working days): This includes standard health checks like a Full Blood Count (FBC), Kidney function (U&Es), Liver function (LFTs), and Cholesterol checks.
  • Common Specialised Bloods (5 to 7 working days): This includes routine monitoring for Thyroid function, Iron levels, and Diabetes (HbA1c).
  • Advanced or Rare Tests (2 to 3 weeks): Complex immunology tests, specific vitamin markers, or rare hormone panels take longer because they often have to be routed to specialised regional or national reference laboratories.
How long do X-ray and scan results take

For X-rays, ultrasounds, or CT/MRI scans requested by your GP, the formal report typically takes 10 to 14 working days to reach the practice.

Your images are taken at an HSC Hospital facility, where a specialist Radiologist must individually evaluate the scans and write a clinical report before it is transmitted back to your doctor.

⚠️ Hospital Consultant Exception: If your scan or X-ray was ordered by a hospital specialist or during an emergency visit to an Emergency Department (A&E) or Urgent Care Centre, the results go straight back to that hospital team, not your GP. You will need to contact the hospital consultant’s secretary directly to receive those results.

Can I find out my blood group at the practice?

No, GP practices do not test or hold record of your blood type. Blood grouping (A, B, AB, O, and Rh factor) is not a routine HSC test provided by general practice because it is not required for general healthcare management.

Blood group testing is strictly restricted to specialised clinical settings where it is necessary, such as prior to major surgery, during blood transfusions in hospital, or as part of routine antenatal care for pregnant women.

  • How to find out your blood group: The easiest way to find out your blood type for free is to register as a donor with the Northern Ireland Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS). After your first donation, you will be informed of your official blood group.
  • Private Options: Alternatively, you can purchase private at-home blood grouping kits or request a private laboratory test outside the HSC.
Can my GP order a DNA or genetic test for me?

Our practice strictly adheres to the regional clinical referral guidelines set by the Northern Ireland Regional Genetics Centre (NIRGC) based at Belfast City Hospital. Please note the following strict criteria regarding DNA and genetic testing:

  • No Direct GP Ordering: Under HSC guidelines, General Practitioners cannot directly order or request diagnostic or predictive genetic testing. All testing must be initiated by a hospital consultant or a specialist genetics service.
  • Strict Clinical Thresholds: Referrals to the regional genetics clinic are only accepted if a patient meets formal, high-risk criteria. For example, a referral for inherited cancer risk generally requires a proven genetic mutation already identified in a living, affected blood relative, or a highly specific density of early-onset cancers within the immediate family.
  • Low-Risk Policy: Individuals assessed as being at low or routine population risk under HSC guidelines will not be offered a clinic appointment or genetic testing.
  • Commercial Third-Party Data: Official guidelines state that HSC laboratories will not process, validate, or interpret raw genetic data generated from private, commercial, or at-home testing kits (such as 23andMe or AncestryDNA).

Non-urgent advice: Questions about your results

If you want to talk to someone about your results, contact our team to discuss.

Non-urgent advice: Confidentiality

The NHS has strict policies relating to confidentiality and data protection and we can only release test results to the adult to whom they relate unless that person had given prior permission for the release of their data and information or are not capable of understanding the results.

Non-urgent advice: If the test was arranged by your hospital consultant

If your test has been carried out at a Clinic or Hospital please call the Clinic or Hospital for the result, as we cannot action tests which have been requested by other Clinicians outwith the practice.

Non-urgent advice: Laboratory tests

For information on what your laboratory test results mean please visit Lab Tests Online.
Please note, this website does not give you access to your actual results, but will provide an explanation of what the varying tests are and what the results mean.
Specimens
All specimens must be provided in a suitable container and marked clearly with name, date of birth, date provided and reason for the specimen. Failure to do so may mean that the test will need to be repeated. 
Please note that when bringing in a sample to the surgery only samples in the correct container can be accepted. These are available from reception.
Tests Performed Outside of the NHS Including Abroad
These results will not appear on any NHS systems, therefore are not accessible to NHS clinicians (unless the referral was made by your NHS care provider). If you have had tests outside of the NHS it is your responsibility to provide us with copies or originals of all the test results in order that we do not duplicate tests. If you are unable to do so you may be referred to an appropriate UK setting for the same test. This is to ensure we comply with best practice care standards. If you do not wish to have a repeat test you will be asked to give informed dissent.