"Results of tests"

My experience of getting the result of a recent blood test was difficult to say the least.

There seems, for one thing, to be a very narrow window in which to phone for results.

Having got the correct day I was told that somebody would contact me on my mobile phone before midday. This was not going to be ideal as I was involved all morning with a music therapy group for Alzheimer's patients and their carers. However, no one called me and at some time beyond midday I phoned the surgery. As I was doing so, someone was trying to contact me so I got a 'missed call'. I rang back and listened to a tape of Vivaldi for some time before I gave up and rang off. I then sent a rather desperate text to the surgery asking if the result could be texted to me. An immediate reply asked for details of my name in order to verify who was calling. This I did, and finally a doctor rang with my result which was not as good as I had hoped. I was not able to discuss it for very long due to heavy traffic noise in the street where I was speaking, making it hard to hear or understand what was being said.

Why can't this system be simpler, allowing patients to phone at anytime and be told straightaway over the phone what they need to know? It is frustrating and in some cases very worrying to be kept in limbo until somebody at some time is able to give this information.