Health Support

Booking an investigation outside your practice

You may have an investigation (test) undertaken outside your practice. This might include a blood test, X-ray, or other test. This page provides some local guidance.

Test appointments: booking and chasing appointments
If your practice clinician (doctor, nurse etc.) or a clinician outside your practice (hospital doctor, community physiotherapist etc.) has requested a test on your behalf then you may need either to book the test yourself or if the test is booked for you chase the appointment yourself if you have not heard back within a certain timescale. Though the clinician will explain this to you, much of the information on local services is covered on this page.

You can have a test if available at any hospital in a particular NHS trust that your test has been booked with.

Example
If you have tests booked with Buckinghamshire Healthcare NHS Trust you can have tests if available at any of the hospitals which are part of this trust, including Amersham, Stoke Mandeville or Wycombe Hospitals. If you are booked with Frimley NHS Trust you can have tests if available at Wexham Park Hospital, Heatherwood hospital etc.

You cannot switch your tests between NHS trusts
Though your practice clinician will when available choose an NHS trust local to you it is possible that you might attend an outpatient appointment at a hospital which is part of an NHS trust which is distant to you. Unfortunately you will need to have any further tests that hospital organises at that NHS trust.

Wrong contact details are a reason for patients not receiving an appointment so please ensure all your contact details are correct on your GP and Hospital records. On your practice website under “update your personal details” you are provided with different ways to update your contact details.

It is important that you cancel your appointment if you are unable to attend, this will allow that appointment to be offered to another patient. The sooner you do this the more likely the appointment can be filled. You can cancel your appointment either online for blood tests or by contacting the relevant provider (details are provided on this page). The practice cannot access appointments you have booked outside the practice so you do need to do this yourself.

Importantly if you cancel an appointment for a test outside the practice, it is important you rebook the test as soon as possible as in some cases if there is a long delay in rebooking the test it may have to be reauthorised  by a practice clinician which will delay your test further.

How you should follow up a test requested by your practice clinician (doctor, nurse etc.) is explained in detail on your practice website under the page “investigations and test results.” There is also information on how to obtain access to viewing your practice test results online which can save you time.

Further information

How you should follow up a test requested by a clinician outside your practice (hospital doctor, community physiotherapist etc.) is explained in detail on your practice website under the page “investigations and test results.” Importantly as is explained on your practice page your practice does not have the capacity nor the responsibility to follow up tests requested by clinicians outside your practice.

Blood tests at a hospital

Patients 16 and over

Recommended way to book an appointment
You can book an appointment via the online appointments booking system

Location and contact details for blood tests (phlebotomy) departments
It is recommended you book blood tests using the online system but you can contact the relevant hospital departments with any queries.

Patients under 16 

Children’s blood tests are normally performed in the children’s outpatient department at the relevant hospital. The appointments can be booked by calling the children’s outpatient department at your chosen hospital.

Introduction including location maps Blood tests | NHS Frimley Health Foundation Trust

You can book an appointment via the online appointments booking system for any age.

Routine tests ordered by a GP
“We no longer offer a service for blood tests requested by a GP (the only exception is for urgent or specialised tests that have to be processed on the same day)”.

Tests requested by a hospital doctor
“If a doctor from Hillingdon or Mount Vernon hospitals has asked you to have a blood test before your next appointment you must book an appointment at one hospital or the other (to suit you)”.

Booking hospital blood tests

On occasions a fasting test may be requested. For this test to be performed, you should not consume food and drink only plain water for at least 12 hours before the blood test. Please do continue to take any prescribed medication but with water only. This will be explained by your practice or hospital clinician.

X-rays

For X-rays booked at the hospital you need to phone the X-ray department and book your appointment.
Location and contact details

You will be contacted about your X-ray appointment, leave two weeks before contacting diagnostics Buckinghamshire if you have not heard.

For X-ray services
“When you have been referred by your GP for a plain film x-ray and have a request form from them, you can attend any of our sites.”

Hillingdon and Mount Vernon Hospitals
Site information, opening times and telephone numbers Radiology (Imaging/X-Ray) | The Hillingdon Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Scans

For ultrasound, MRI and echocardiogram scans you will be contacted about your appointment but if you do not hear within a certain timescale it is worth contacting the provider as explained below.

Ultrasound

You will be contacted about your ultrasound scan appointment, leave two weeks before contacting the X-ray and clinical imaging department if you have not heard.

Location and contact details

You will be contacted about your ultrasound scan appointment, leave two weeks before contacting diagnostics Buckinghamshire if you have not heard.

You will be contacted about your ultrasound scan appointment, leave two weeks before contacting the X-ray and clinical imaging department if you have not heard.

You will be contacted about your ultrasound scan appointment, leave two weeks before contacting the X-ray and clinical imaging department if you have not heard.

MRI

You will be contacted about your MRI appointment, leave two weeks before contacting diagnostics Buckinghamshire if you have not heard.

Echocardiogram

You will be contacted about your echocardiogram appointment, leave two weeks before contacting diagnostics Buckinghamshire if you have not heard.

Cardiac investigations including echocardiogram

You will be contacted about your echocardiogram appointment, leave two weeks before contacting the cardiac investigations department if you have not heard.

NHS 111

If you think you need medical help right now, 111 online can tell you what to do next.

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