NHS blood test results explained: what your GP sees and what you don't.

NHS blood test results are increasingly accessible to patients through the NHS App and online GP portals. But receiving a list of numbers without context can cause more anxiety than clarity. This guide explains how to interpret what you see, and what your GP is looking at when they review the same results.

How NHS results reach you.

When your GP orders a blood test, the sample is processed by an NHS laboratory or a contracted private lab. Results are returned electronically to your GP's system, usually within 24 to 72 hours for routine tests. Your GP reviews the results and decides whether to contact you, add a note to your record, or take no action.

Since the NHS App began providing access to medical records, many patients can now see their results before their GP has reviewed them. This is valuable, but it means you may encounter flagged results without context or explanation.

What your GP sees that you might not.

Your GP's view of your results includes several things that may not be visible in the patient portal:

• Your previous results. GPs compare current results to your history, which is why a result that looks alarming in isolation may be unremarkable in context.
• Clinical notes. The reason the test was ordered, your symptoms and your medication list all inform how a result is interpreted.
• Lab comments. Laboratories sometimes add interpretive notes or quality flags that do not appear in the patient view.
• Calculated values. Some markers, such as eGFR and non HDL cholesterol, are calculated from other results and may not appear explicitly in your view.

Common NHS abbreviations.

The shorthand on your report

Abbreviation	Full name	What it measures
FBC	Full Blood Count	Red cells, white cells, platelets, haemoglobin.
U&E	Urea and Electrolytes	Kidney function, sodium, potassium.
eGFR	Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate	Kidney filtration efficiency.
LFTs	Liver Function Tests	Liver enzymes and proteins.
TFTs	Thyroid Function Tests	TSH, sometimes T4 and T3.
HbA1c	Glycated Haemoglobin	Average blood sugar over two to three months.
CRP	C Reactive Protein	Marker of inflammation or infection.
ESR	Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate	General marker of inflammation.
PSA	Prostate Specific Antigen	Prostate health marker in men.

Why your GP might not contact you about a flag.

Not every flagged result requires action. GPs use clinical judgement to determine whether a flag is significant in your context. A mildly elevated ALT in someone who had a recent viral illness is very different from the same result in someone with no obvious cause. A slightly low haemoglobin in a woman with heavy periods may be expected and monitored rather than urgently investigated.

Getting more from your NHS results.

The NHS App gives you access to your results, but it does not explain them or show you trends over time. If you have had multiple blood tests, comparing them manually across different dates is slow and easy to get wrong.

biomarkr is designed to fill this gap: it imports your NHS and private results, explains each marker in plain English, and shows you how each one has changed over time, so you can see the direction of travel, not just today's number.

Questions worth asking at your next appointment.

• Can you walk me through which results were flagged and what they mean?
• How do these results compare to my previous tests?
• Is there anything in these results that warrants further investigation?
• Are there any results I should be monitoring more closely?