If you have had blood tests or other laboratory samples taken at this Surgery, these will be sent to the laboratory at St James Hospital by a special courier service that leaves the Surgery every day at 11.30am. The following information outlines the practices policy in relation to laboratory tests.
- We will add the results to your computerised file on their return
- A Doctor will ring you directly on receipt of an important result that is outside the normal range or one that is significantly abnormal
- As a routine practice, you are expected to ring the surgery for your results 10 days after the sample was taken
- In some cases your lab result may be required more urgently. The Doctor/Nurse will inform you when to ring for this urgent result
- We request you to ring for these between 12.00p.m. – 1.00 p.m. Mon –Fri
- Receptionists are authorised to give a result that the doctor has considered normal, to a patient on request
- Receptionists are not authorised to give results that are outside the normal range or deal with queries. You will be asked to discuss these with a Doctor
- Very often, results outside the normal range are insignificant and not dangerous. Patients asked to discuss results with the Doctor shouldn’t worry unduly
- If a doctor is not immediately available, you will be phoned later
- We will not routinely contact you to inform you of a normal result.
- Sometimes blood results get lost and delayed at the lab. We will follow these up and clarify the situation if your phone call indicates results are not back
The administration, computerisation and follow up on laboratory results can take considerable time. The practice charges non medical card holders fees for this.
Blood tests: €20 if ordered by practice doctor. € 30 if ordered by external doctor.