To wonder why I've been refused a blood test?

[NotAHouse]

Impossible to get a speedy doctor's appointment at my surgery, so I filled in the online form asking for my iron levels to be checked. I've been feeling dizzy for months and headachey with low mood, and I've had low iron before.

GP has responded today asking me to schedule a routine appointment instead. None available for a month. Why? I've told them my symptoms, I'll just be repeating the same thing over the phone in a month. I've booked it but not thrilled.

Are they now cheaping out on blood tests or could there be some other reason?

This is what I was expecting, eg. what normally happens.

so you’re complaining about 2 opposite things here then?
1: they didn’t give you the blood test you wanted without a consultation,
but also
2: previously they’ve ‘shoved you in the direction of a blood test’ thereby fobbing you off?

make up your mind

🤣🤣🤣 where on earth did you pluck that ridiculous figure from?

I thought doctors hating people self diagnosing?

Yet that is exactly what you have done in determining it’s an iron check you need. It may subsequently be the case but the doctor needs a medical history and symptom discussion with you first to rule out anything else. They may ask you questions you weren’t expecting. I don’t believe this is cheap-skating. Imagine a scenario everyone on MN started requesting their own bloods without speaking to a doctor first.

On what planet?

On the Planet called AIBU, in the Mountains of Fuckwittery.

I don't get why some people are so adamant that post covid NHS is better than pre covid when you actually had a chance of seeing your gp in a decent time frame. I had a rheumatologist refer me to a cronic fatigue clinic but my gp said he would be negligent if he did refer me and that I needed to try string antidepressants first.

If you have the money and your still no closure to answer next month can you go private?

I know it's not great and I'm not loaded but so many services have gone to shit. Private sometimes is alternative to wasting years

I used to work in a biochemistry lab. The most common tests to test electrolytes cost literal pennies. A full blood count and ferritin cost a few quid. Not sure where you got this figure from!

No one ever gets blood tests for absolutely everything that could be wrong with them

I got a blood test the other day to look for anemia. It is not a national policy to not offer that. As well as several appointments for what turned out to be a non-existent problem. Sorry OP, I "stole" your blood test !!

Low iron is just a symptom, your GP may want to investigate the cause. A blood test will just confirm you have low iron. It will not provide the reason why.
Obviously, in women it can be due to menstrual loss, but it can been due to chronic bleeding from the gut. Prescribing iron without looking for a probable cause could result in you suing your GP for missing a gastric ulcer or bowel cancer or a number of other causes.
Your GP has probably reviewed your notes and has spotted that it is a recurrent problem and decided to investigate. Good doctoring.