Ballyward Surgery - About medical tests and how to get your results

Noticeboard

We have taken steps to reduce risk of Coronavirus by reverting to telephone triage. This is to protect the most vulnerable of our patients as well as the staff. When you ring us, our staff will ask you some questions to determine your condition. Some of these questions may include if you have a temperature or a cough. These questions will help us to determine the best action to take but also helps protect our staff and other vulnerable patients.

Please DO NOT ATTEND THE SURGERY without a prior appointment.

When you do attend for either a GP or nurse appointment, we are also asking that once you have advised of your arrival you then return to your car and you will be called in. We have closed our waiting room, again in an effort to control the virus.

We would also advise that for the present time we are no longer completing private reports, HGV medicals, life insurance forms etc., and would suggest that you may wish to attend a private clinic for these.

Reminder - we have online ordering for your repeat medicines which is our preferred way for you to order - please ask at reception for your first time unique log in so you can bypass the phone system.

When the Surgery is closed, please contact the GP Out of hours for the Southern Trust area which is 028 3839 9201. For our patients living in the South Eastern Trust Area your number is 028 9260 2204

Reminder to all patients: Please allow 72hrs (that's three full working days ) for repeat prescriptions to be issued.

We want to empower our patients to enable them to care for themselves and their loved ones for minor ailments. The Self Care forum website is designed for patients to access information on managing their symptoms themselves and advising when to seek medical help.

WEBSITE: http://www.selfcareforum.org/ or scroll down for some more information on specific ailments

Here are links to some common ailments:

1 Sore throat how to treat your sore throat

2 Cough in adults how to manage your cough

3 Sinus infections how to manage a sinus infection yourself

4 Earache how to manage earache symptoms

5 Fever in children how to assess a child with a temperature

Test Results

Blood Tests

X-Ray

Test Results

test_vials2 The GP will only be able to report on a test if it was requested by one of our GPs.

If you are seeking a result from a test done in hospital,such as an MRI or CT- it is the DUTY OF THE HOSPITAL DOCTOR TO FIND OUT THE RESULT AND INFORM YOU DIRECTLY. (Generally the GP will not have access to these tests anyhow, nor are they best placed to advise you on the next step.)

When you attend for a test of any kind you will be told how long you should expect to wait for the results.

It is our protocol for the patient to be phoned by the surgery only if your blood result needs further action.

Our reception staff are not qualified to interpret results but can advise you on whether the doctor or nurse advises repeat testing or a further appointment.

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.

Blood Tests

YOU MUST SEE/SPEAK TO A GP PRIOR TO REQUESTING A BLOOD TEST UPON REQUEST. PLEASE NOTE WE DO NOT DO BLOOD TESTS FOR PRIVATE CLINICS- THIS MUST BE DONE BY THE PRIVATE CLINIC FOR SAFETY REASONS.

blood_tests_4 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 nurse 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 child's hand will be 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 Choices website.

X-Ray

doctor examining an x-ray 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 a 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.

Noticeboard

When the Surgery is closed, please contact the GP Out of hours for the Southern Trust area which is 028 3839 9201. For our patients living in the South Eastern Trust Area your number is 028 9260 2204

Reminder to all patients: Please allow 72hrs (that's three full working days ) for repeat prescriptions to be issued.

We want to empower our patients to enable them to care for themselves and their loved ones for minor ailments. The Self Care forum website is designed for patients to access information on managing their symptoms themselves and advising when to seek medical help.

WEBSITE: http://www.selfcareforum.org/ or scroll down for some more information on specific ailments

Here are links to some common ailments:

1 Sore throat how to treat your sore throat

2 Cough in adults how to manage your cough

3 Sinus infections how to manage a sinus infection yourself

4 Earache how to manage earache symptoms

5 Fever in children how to assess a child with a temperature

Test Results

Blood Tests

X-Ray

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