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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

annoyed at doctors surgery for not letting me know result

54 replies

JosieMay1970 · 14/12/2023 19:51

I had routine blood tests one month ago and I never heard anything, it’s been over a month, today I received a letter telling me I’m prediabetic. Why didn’t my doctors phone me straight away to tell me this? Why have I only found out over a month later, would they have let me known sooner if it was a more serious result?

it makes me worry they aren’t telling me other things that could be wrong, or would they usually phone earlier if they found anything worse?

am I being unreasonable in being annoyed by this?

OP posts:
AlltheFs · 14/12/2023 21:28

We get all our results on the NHS app.
I can’t imagine phoning for results or waiting for a letter, it’s not the 90’s @JosieMay1970

Primproperpenny · 14/12/2023 21:34

I don’t get this! The last couple of times I’ve had blood tests, the results have been on the NHS app the next day. It’s an excellent service IMO. Latest were only last month so not a long time ago.

Doggymummar · 14/12/2023 21:38

JosieMay1970 · 14/12/2023 20:29

hi everyone! Thanks for all the replies, I feel a little calmer now although still a bit annoyed as the nurse who took the bloods said if anything abnormal comes back I’ll receive a call within 1-2 weeks. That’s why I figured they would have rang by now. Although you’re all correct, I should probably have rang but was under the impression there was no need to.

I don’t have an app or online results

Sign up for Patient know best it had all you nhs history going back to being a baby, very interesting read!

Shopper727 · 14/12/2023 21:39

In Scotland there’s no app but my gp will let me know if my thyroid results are off so I need to decrease or increase my meds, usually the surgery pharmacist phones and tells me a script is going to x pharmacy to pick up. If I don’t hear anything it’s fine usually. I think it depends what the bloods are for and how urgent the drs think they are for you to be alerted. You should really have called if you hadn’t heard and were overly bothered re your result

RuthW · 14/12/2023 21:45

It's your responsibility to obtain your results. Why bother having them if you don't want to know the results? You can't assume they are normal as sometimes samples get lost.

cbbo · 14/12/2023 21:47

General expectation is that the patient calls the surgery to get the results.

C8H10N4O2 · 14/12/2023 21:49

RuthW · 14/12/2023 21:45

It's your responsibility to obtain your results. Why bother having them if you don't want to know the results? You can't assume they are normal as sometimes samples get lost.

As posted by the OP:

"the nurse who took the bloods said if anything abnormal comes back I’ll receive a call within 1-2 weeks."

If they wanted her to ring or look up results online then they could say "ring or look up results on line" not tell her to expect a call if there are any problems. Its just poor patient management and communication - both of which waste both patient and surgery time.

dontgobaconmyheart · 14/12/2023 21:52

YABU, I've never not known it to be the case that for non urgent results that patients call to get them as a matter of routine. Every GP surgery I've ever had has a specific call line for this - eg "press 3 for test results".

There's absolutely no reason to believe they would be keeping things from you, ultimately it is your responsibility to manage your health or that worse things are wrong. They have written to you to tell you exactly what is wrong. If you like you can request a copy of your results, or your own medical records at any time you wish, as is your right.

Fairyliz · 14/12/2023 22:00

I’m really surprised at all of these people who say the op should phone the surgery.
My surgery won’t give results over the phone and are quite shirty about giving out paper copies.
Their attitude is we will contact you if their are any problems.

jemenfous37 · 14/12/2023 23:31

You need the NHS app or Patient Access app. All your results are available on each of these. You are more likely to see them before your GP!
They also provide normal ranges for each test, and indicate if it is high or low, or if somethings is off.
If you can't access an app, phone surgery after a week.

melj1213 · 15/12/2023 10:06

Fairyliz · 14/12/2023 22:00

I’m really surprised at all of these people who say the op should phone the surgery.
My surgery won’t give results over the phone and are quite shirty about giving out paper copies.
Their attitude is we will contact you if their are any problems.

I have never had a surgery refuse to give out results over the phone. My surgery has an option for "Requesting test results" in their initial call menu but they also ask that you only call for results after 11am because before that they have everyone calling to make appointments so the lines are busy but also because test results are usually sent over from the path lab first thing in the morning so calling 11am gives the doctors time to receive the results and review them before you call.

They usually don't give out the full results breakdown or run through the actual numbers over the phone it's more of a "Yep we have received the results back, the GP has reviewed them and everything is normal/there's nothing of concern but they have sent a prescription out for you/the GP would like you to make an appointment to discuss the results" but they will tell you.

I have blood tests done every 4 months for a chronic condition, and have done for years. Without fail I am always told "We'll call you when we get the results if there's anything we need to discuss but otherwise give us a week before calling to check the results".

Then I either get a call within the week saying they need me to make an appointment to see them (very rare); a text within the week to say a prescription has been sent to my nominated pharmacy for something minor that flagged on my results (less rare but not every time); or I hear nothing and either call them or check on the NHS app to see what my results are.

Sometimes I check the results and they are at the top or bottom of a "normal" range so nothing flags but when the results are then sent on to the specialist for my condition they may then send out a letter/contact me a week or so later to essentially say "For anyone else this would be normal but for you this reading is too high/low. It's not serious enough to require emergency action but here's what you need to do to increase/decrease that result to where it needs to be".

user1497207191 · 15/12/2023 10:12

YANBU.

I'm diabetic and have yearly blood tests. For the past 4 years, I've had "curt" texts a few days after the blood test, very briefly saying something like "blood test was fine", "levels OK", etc. I naturally assumed it was all fine.

A few weeks ago, went to GP with something different and casually asked if he could tell me the levels. They were actually over the "threshold" 4 years ago, and have been slowly rising ever since. He couldn't explain why it wasn't picked up, and he "fast tracked" me to the practice diabetic nurse to get things back in control which we're working on now.

What's the point in them doing blood tests if the results are going to be reviewed by someone who clearly doesn't know what they're doing? Of course, the GP surgery get extra funding for doing the tests and "managing" patients with chronic conditions like Diabetes. They're happy to pocket the money, but can't be bothered to actually "treat" the patient!

Savedpassword · 15/12/2023 10:13

NHS app is not available in all areas of the UK.

OP these were not urgent results.
You would have been contacted regarding anything urgent as the nurse said.
I’m not sure why it wouldn’t have occurred to you to ring for your results before a month went by.

Letsbe · 15/12/2023 10:13

What can you do to improve your health now you know??

user1497207191 · 15/12/2023 10:13

jemenfous37 · 14/12/2023 23:31

You need the NHS app or Patient Access app. All your results are available on each of these. You are more likely to see them before your GP!
They also provide normal ranges for each test, and indicate if it is high or low, or if somethings is off.
If you can't access an app, phone surgery after a week.

No, they're not! Our practice doesn't put blood test results on the apps. I've got all the apps and all I can do with them is order repeat prescriptions. YOUR practice may put blood test results on those systems, but not all do, and ours doesn't!

ChristmasFluff · 15/12/2023 11:39

I've just had a call from the GP to tell me my thyroid bloods are very different to 'my normal', but still within the 'normal' range, so he wants me retested in 6 weeks's time. Very much not 'urgent', but clinically important, like prediabetes.

We are told at the test appointment that if we hear nothing then the bloods are normal, so I would not have contacted the surgery if I were the OP either.

Not all surgeries are on the app or sign up to the test results part of it - my surgery isn't on it yet.

There's been a real rush to blame the OP here, and it's not fair to her.

Tinkerbyebye · 15/12/2023 11:43

Try taking some responsibility here

  1. You should be phoning the doctor for results, certainly at my surgery you phone in the afternoons
  2. use the nhs app, results are downloaded by the doctors and you can read them yourselves
Tinkerbyebye · 15/12/2023 11:45

ChristmasFluff · 15/12/2023 11:39

I've just had a call from the GP to tell me my thyroid bloods are very different to 'my normal', but still within the 'normal' range, so he wants me retested in 6 weeks's time. Very much not 'urgent', but clinically important, like prediabetes.

We are told at the test appointment that if we hear nothing then the bloods are normal, so I would not have contacted the surgery if I were the OP either.

Not all surgeries are on the app or sign up to the test results part of it - my surgery isn't on it yet.

There's been a real rush to blame the OP here, and it's not fair to her.

Yes it is fair to her. I would still ring the doctors for blood results even if doctors said if you don’t hear its clear ( and we have to go to the hospital for our bloods and no way do they say if you don’t hear it’s clear, the6 tell us to call the doctor)

user1497207191 · 15/12/2023 13:17

Tinkerbyebye · 15/12/2023 11:43

Try taking some responsibility here

  1. You should be phoning the doctor for results, certainly at my surgery you phone in the afternoons
  2. use the nhs app, results are downloaded by the doctors and you can read them yourselves

As many people have said above, some GP surgeries don't put test results on the apps!

C8H10N4O2 · 15/12/2023 17:23

Tinkerbyebye · 15/12/2023 11:45

Yes it is fair to her. I would still ring the doctors for blood results even if doctors said if you don’t hear its clear ( and we have to go to the hospital for our bloods and no way do they say if you don’t hear it’s clear, the6 tell us to call the doctor)

Show quote history

And as is screamingly obvious from this thread and many, many other similar threads on this theme - what your GP does is not what all GPs do.

GP practices are private businesses who decide their own processes and procedures. Some GPs don't want patients calling for results, some don't use apps or texts, some do.

The OP followed the instructions/expectations set by her GP practice. Its not her fault or responsibility to assume that her practice gives out wrong information and what your GP practice does is relevant solely to your practice.

Goatymum · 15/12/2023 17:33

I have the nhs app so can see resukts, but also GP texts if anything urgent is flagged. Recently it was to take iron tablets.

lorralo · 15/12/2023 17:55

My GP rings if anything comes up on the test and if you hear nothing then that's good. So yes I would be pissed off at this. You're not unreasonable!

Whatsherusername · 15/12/2023 18:25

Well if it makes you feel any better i was referred under the 2 week rule for suspected cancer after some results came back and nobody bothered to inform me. I found out by logging on to the nhs app and reading it on my nhs file so it could be worse

user1497207191 · 18/12/2023 10:21

Sounds as if making it compulsory for GP surgeries to put blood test results etc on the NHS app would be a good idea. I know GP surgeries are private businesses who can do what they want, but when they're under contract to the NHS and providing NHS services, I think it should be part of that contract that they make full use of the NHS app and for it not to be discretionary.

DRS1970 · 18/12/2023 10:27

I take Lithium, and have to have regular bloods. I too find getting results from my GP surgery like getting blood from a stone. Which I find a concern given Lithium toxicity can be life threatening.