Your doctor or the nurse will advise you when the result should be available, and if they would like to see you personally.

Please note that we do have a strict policy regarding confidentiality and data protection. In this respect we will only give out results to the person they relate to unless that person has given prior permission for their release or if they are not capable of understanding them.

Your blood tests will be sent to the laboratory, usually at Royal Cornwall Hospital where they will be examined under a microscope or tested with chemicals, depending on what is being checked.

The results are sent back to the hospital or your GP.  Some test results will be ready the same day or a few days later, although others may not be available for a few weeks.

In order to be able to manage acute illness as well as monitor chronic diseases, at Perranporth Surgery, we process up to 1,200 blood results per week.  We are unable to routinely inform patients when blood tests are normal.

You  will receive a telephone call from our admin team if you have an abnormal blood result that your doctor feels needs a follow up.

If your blood result is outside of the normal limit, your doctor may classify it in your patient record as 'Abnormal', 'Abnormal but expected', 'Borderline' or even 'Satisfactory'.  However, in combination with other blood results, knowledge about your past tests, your age and the clinical picture, your doctor may decide that this result is acceptable.  This is because this result may be normal for you and not dangerous.  Sometimes a doctor will decide to repeat blood tests within a few days, weeks or months to monitor you.

For further information, you may find the following links below useful.  They contain explanations for common blood tests and laboratory values:

http://www.nhs.uk/conditions/blood-tests/

https://labtestsonline.org.uk/tests-index

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.