Blood tests on the NHS

[kniveshurt]

Hi guys,

So I've got my surgery booked for 27th September with Dr. Karidis (counting down the days!) and need to get blood tests done beforehand. I'm wondering if anyone has had any luck getting these done on the NHS?

Should I tell the doctor I need them for gyne surgery? Or should I say it's for something else? I'm worried if I say it's for plastic surgery then they won't give them to me. But what else could I say they're for? 

Appreciate any advice.

Cheers.

[LondonGuy]

You know it really just depends on your GP.

I had my surgrery a few days ago with karidis, and I explained the situation to my GP and he said "well technicially for a private procedure its not supposed to be covered by the NHS, but its okay we'll just sign off on this".

You should be honest I think, but come at it from the angle of "I've been dealing with his for years, and I'm doing it privately not only for my choice of surgeon but to save NHS money"... see what he says.

The thing is, even though they gave me the form, when I took it down to the hospital, it soon became clear that getting the results back to Karidis from the NHS would be annoying (particularly since I would be abraod). They have to be sent to your GP, and then on to Karidis. So I ended up doing them privately anyway. if you're paying over 4k, whats another 100 quid for peace of mind? besides, its much nicer getting your blood taken in private than in a que of people.

Good luck!

[kniveshurt]

Cheers for the reply, LondonGuy.

I don't have a regular GP (just assigned one when I book an appointment), so it's a bit hit-and-miss knowing whether I'll get an understanding one!

I think you're right: I might as well just pay the £100 or whatever to get them done at St John's. Plus, it cuts down the amount of chasing I'd need to do to get them across to Karidis' team.

Thanks again for your help.

[rasputin]

Cheers for the reply, LondonGuy.

I don't have a regular GP (just assigned one when I book an appointment), so it's a bit hit-and-miss knowing whether I'll get an understanding one!

I think you're right: I might as well just pay the £100 or whatever to get them done at St John's. Plus, it cuts down the amount of chasing I'd need to do to get them across to Karidis' team.

Thanks again for your help.

Hey buddy,

Where did you end up getting your bloods done? Did your GP manage to hook you up?! I just rang reception and just said I needed tests done and for them to be sent on but they don't do any private work - so I would imagine a chat with a GP and a bit of a story about how this is impacting your life would do the trick.