Thank you for taking the time to comment. We are sorry that there was a delay in organising your blood test. Unfortunately during times of annual leave there are going to be fewer appointments. We will always do our best to fit in urgent requests for bloods where we can or patients do have the option of attending the hospital if they would prefer. We are always looking at ways we can refine the way that we work as the demand for our services continue to increase. Our process for managing test results is that a doctor will review the results when they are received back from the lab. Often this is at the end of a busy day in surgery. They will then make a comment on the patient’s notes which will either indicate if the result is normal or if the doctor needs to discuss the result with the patient. We advise patients to ring the practice after a few days to check the result and one of our care navigators will either confirm that the result is normal and pass on any message or where necessary book an appointment with the doctor. This is a more efficient way of managing test results. Unfortunately doctors are a limited resource it is a really inefficient use of their time if they have to ring patients and leave a message only to have the patient call back later whilst a doctor may be consulting with a patient. With regards to the waiting area we will always listen to suggestions on how we could improve things. Ultimately though we try and maintain a calm atmosphere because we are conscious of the fact that many people attending the surgery are there because they feel unwell. East Cliff Practice