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To wish my GP practice had told me about this upward trend earlier?

285 replies

polarband · 01/08/2025 14:45

I have used a blood pressure medication to treat migraines for several years now. As a result I need to go for blood tests and a BP check every 6 months as my BP tends to be low on this medication. The blood tests are mainly to check my kidneys but they do other checks as well, after each test I just call and they tell me everything's fine and I go again in another 6 months.

This time after my check I got called back in to speak to the doctor and was told I have high cholesterol and prediabetes. I asked him what could have caused the problem so suddenly and he said it hadn't been sudden and that if he looked at my blood test results over the past 6 years he could see that my cholesterol and blood glucose levels had been creeping up but its only now just crossed over into clinical diagnosis. I am fit, a healthy weight, a non smoking, non drinking, active woman with ideal blood pressure who eats a healthy whole food diet so when I was told my results were normal I thought that meant I was healthy not that things were getting worse.

I'm not mad that it's happened because these things do happen of course, I'm 50 now and there is type 2 diabetes in my family but I just wish they had told me earlier when this upward trend was noticed and I could have made some changes to prevent getting to this level. My GP just said they don't treat at anything below clinical diagnosis level and anything below that is in the healthy range and therefore normal.

Is it so unreasonable to think that they should flag up something like this to patients?

OP posts:
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Badbadbunny · 04/08/2025 11:42

notthe1Parrot · 04/08/2025 11:18

In reply to badgadbunny, my husband had fortnightly hospital blood tests during cancer treatment.

They were uploaded to Patients Know Best within three hours – very useful to have as treatment could not proceed without them being satisfactory.

Just shows how different hospitals/trusts use different systems - ours have no way at all of the patient seeing their own results - as confirmed by the oncologist and the cancer nurses in the oncology dept., and apparently they know of no plans to make them available either - nothing in the pipeline!

notthe1Parrot · 04/08/2025 11:18

In reply to badgadbunny, my husband had fortnightly hospital blood tests during cancer treatment.

They were uploaded to Patients Know Best within three hours – very useful to have as treatment could not proceed without them being satisfactory.

Badbadbunny · 04/08/2025 10:32

Hospital blood test results aren't uploaded to the app either. My OH has cancer and monthly blood tests but has to constantly phone the oncology dept for test results which is a pain, both for him and the oncology nurses!

Even more of a pain when the oncologist tells him to "ask the GP" to increase a dose of a GP prescribed drug, or add in an additional drug, because, of course, the GP can't see the hospital blood tests either, so has to "ping" a message through to oncology to ask, which sometimes they respond to, sometimes not, and that's, of course, after it's taken him several weeks to actually get the message through to his GP because the gatekeeping receptionists won't pass on messages and won't grant him an appointment!

It's all a sodding mess. The NHS is far too fragmented with all the different trusts involved, all with their own systems, and seemingly can't be bothered to communicate between themselves, leaving the patient piggy in the middle!

SelkieSeal · 04/08/2025 10:27

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

Yes, if the surgery uses that service. If they don't, then no, it is not possible to look at your results online.

Negroany · 04/08/2025 08:47

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

I'm.in England and I've never heard of that thing. And no test results are in the NHS app for me.

Negroany · 04/08/2025 08:46

polarband · 03/08/2025 17:41

@Chinsupmeloves These results aren't usually available online in Scotland, we do not have the NHS app. To get our results we are often told to submit a written subject access request and wait up to 3 months to get this information.

Edited

Subject access request have a legal response time of one month actually.

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 20:15

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 03/08/2025 18:29

Which for the umpteenth time is "not available for viewers in Scotland"

Not the app no, that's not what I was saying

Chinsupmeloves · 03/08/2025 19:23

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

All I can say is that my GP practice shows all records of medication and test results, which is so helpful. Xxx

ConstantlyTired312 · 03/08/2025 18:39

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

My System one doesn't have my blood results on, I'm in the UK but my surgery don't seem to upload them

IHaveAlwaysLivedintheCastle · 03/08/2025 18:29

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

Which for the umpteenth time is "not available for viewers in Scotland"

Orangesandlemons77 · 03/08/2025 18:12

Apart from the NHS app it is possible to look at results online, e.g. systmone

polarband · 03/08/2025 17:41

@Chinsupmeloves These results aren't usually available online in Scotland, we do not have the NHS app. To get our results we are often told to submit a written subject access request and wait up to 3 months to get this information.

OP posts:
Chinsupmeloves · 03/08/2025 17:39

Aren't you able to look at results online? They have explanations with them which indicate more detail. Worth looking into. Xx

Sundaybananas · 03/08/2025 11:16

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 03/08/2025 07:38

Yes @Sundaybananas I'm in Scotland and have done this twice. The first time they sent me a mass of print outs, the second time I asked if they could send it digitally and they put it all on to a CD for me. It took them some time to get it done, maybe a month or 2

Thank you! I really appreciate that @TiptoeThroughTheToadstools . It gives me the information I need to push harder for it.

Namechangeragin · 03/08/2025 11:07

Slightly off topic but Chinese acupuncture resolved my migraines after having them several times a month for a year or two.
I didn’t get one for a few years.

They started happening again a few years later (I had stopped the acupuncture and it was lock down) and I have found weight lifting appears stops them.

justasking111 · 03/08/2025 10:54

Re the Welsh app not being rolled out. Health minister has said it's being tweaked 🙄

SoSoLong · 03/08/2025 10:53

Jochef · 03/08/2025 10:40

Download the NHS app. Not the covid one.

You can see everything on there, from letters to blood tests results to referrals.

👍🏻

Cancel the cheque as well whilst you're at it, OP.

N0sferatu · 03/08/2025 10:46

Jochef · 03/08/2025 10:40

Download the NHS app. Not the covid one.

You can see everything on there, from letters to blood tests results to referrals.

👍🏻

FFS. 11 pages in. Do you really think nobody else will have suggested that?

Jochef · 03/08/2025 10:40

polarband · 01/08/2025 14:51

@RosesAndHellebores I don't believe that is available in my area and in the past when I ask for my exact results I've been fobbed off and told I don't need to know because its all normal.

Download the NHS app. Not the covid one.

You can see everything on there, from letters to blood tests results to referrals.

👍🏻

Grumpybear33 · 03/08/2025 09:33

As you say your diet and lifestyle is very healthy then what would you have changed had you known earlier? The GP will only have been alerted to the increasing results once one of them tipped over into the alert level. They don’t have time to trawl through every patients historical results manually. This is why the electronic trigger points exist.

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 03/08/2025 07:38

Sundaybananas · 03/08/2025 01:28

Thanks @TiptoeThroughTheToadstools

This is in Scotland, yes? They gave you a downloaded copy? I just assumed this was another thing we had to put up with. They told me it was not technically possible because of the way systems were set up.

Yes @Sundaybananas I'm in Scotland and have done this twice. The first time they sent me a mass of print outs, the second time I asked if they could send it digitally and they put it all on to a CD for me. It took them some time to get it done, maybe a month or 2

Sundaybananas · 03/08/2025 01:28

Thanks @TiptoeThroughTheToadstools

This is in Scotland, yes? They gave you a downloaded copy? I just assumed this was another thing we had to put up with. They told me it was not technically possible because of the way systems were set up.

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 03/08/2025 00:04

Enrichetta · 03/08/2025 00:01

No… I just assumed that, before you decided to get regular SARs, you’d have tried to reason with the practice. They must have some kind of complaints procedure, surely.

Frankly, I am astonished that any general practice would be so unreasonable as to force patients to go to this length to get access to the medical records they are entitled to.

I think its required by law @enrichetta its really not any hassle. Takes 5 minutes, not something to be getting worked up over.

Enrichetta · 03/08/2025 00:01

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 02/08/2025 23:53

Was this meant for OP @enrichetta ?

No… I just assumed that, before you decided to get regular SARs, you’d have tried to reason with the practice. They must have some kind of complaints procedure, surely.

Frankly, I am astonished that any general practice would be so unreasonable as to force patients to go to this length to get access to the medical records they are entitled to.

TiptoeThroughTheToadstools · 02/08/2025 23:53

Enrichetta · 02/08/2025 23:38

This is just bizarre! I assume you have raised this with the Practice Manager and the GP partners. What is their reasoning or justification for putting these obstacles in your way - sure they acknowledge that you have a legal right to your medical records?

Was this meant for OP @enrichetta ?