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 phlebotomist 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  NHSwebsite

When coming for a blood test, please drink plenty of water on the morning of your appointment.  This makes it easier to find your vein and take your blood.

Also, please rearrange routine blood tests if you have a virus - attending when unwell spreads the virus in the community.

Appointments
When you have a blood test, you will need to book a morning appointment. This is because the hospital transport collects blood test specimens at lunch time.

Fasting Blood Tests
If you are having a "fasting" blood test, you must not eat or drink anything except water from 9.00pm the night before your blood test.  For fasting blood tests you should try and book your appointment for as early in the morning as possible.

Warfarin Blood Tests
When you initially start taking Warfarin medication it is important that you book appointments for the day advised to you.  However, once you are established on this medication it is not essential for you to have your repeat blood test on the specific day advised - a day earlier or a day later if needs be is acceptable.

Blood Test Forms
If you are having a blood test performed at the request of a hospital specialist, you should have been given a form detailing the tests required. Please bring this with you to your appointment.

You can find out more about blood tests, their purpose and the way they are performed on the NHS website.

In order to check your health or to see if there is any infection, your doctor or nurse may ask you to provide a specimen of urine or stool (faeces).

Specimens should be brought to the surgery during the morning, because hospital transport collect specimens at lunch time. Specimens must NEVER be left in our outside post box, or posted in any way. Any such specimens will be destroyed

It is important that specimens are provided in appropriate containers (your clinician or reception staff can provide these), labelled with the patient's details and with an accompanying form (your clinician or reception staff can provide these).

Please do not bring in specimens without having first arranged this with one of our doctors or nurses, otherwise such specimens will be destroyed.

Urine tests may be tested here at the surgery by the nurse - who will inform you of the results.  Otherwise all specimens are sent to the hospital for testing, in which case you should ring our secretaries for your results when advised by your doctor/nurse.

For further details regarding urine and stool tests, please see the links below:

• Urine Tests
• Stool Tests

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 website.

X-Rays at Walk-in Clinic at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital
If you are having one of the following X-rays, your doctor will order your X-ray electronically: Chest X-rays, Ankle X-rays, Knee X-rays, Pelvis/Hip X-rays, Finger/Hand X-rays

When you go to the X-ray Department you only need to let them know that your GP has sent you for an X-ray, and who you are. You do not need to take any forms with you as the request has been sent electronically.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital   
Monday - Friday: 9:00am - 4:00pm

Ludlow Hospital
Monday, Wednesday, Friday: 1:00pm - 2:30pm

All Other X-rays
For all other types of X-ray, your doctor will send a request card to the hospital, and the hospital will contact you with regard to an appointment.

When Will My Appointment Be?
If you have not received contact about your appointment within a couple of weeks, please ring the hospital concerned and ask to be put through to the X-ray Appointments Department, who will be able to advise you on waiting times. For the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, the X-ray Appointments Department telephone line is 01743 261150.

X-Ray Results
Urgent X-ray results are normally telephoned or emailed to us, and we will make contact with you promptly regarding these.

X-ray results otherwise usually take approximately 15 working days to be sent to us (and not 10 days, as patients are often quoted). You will need to phone the surgery to ask for your results, and the secretaries will call you back that afternoon between 2.30pm and 4.30pm.

If your X-ray was taken for a hospital specialist, as part of hospital investigations, your results will be sent back to your specialist.