Your Annual Long-Term Condition Review
Why have I been invited for a blood test?
- If you have a long-term health condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, COPD or kidney disease, we usually arrange a yearly review to make sure your condition is being monitored and your treatment remains safe and appropriate.
As part of this review, you may be asked to have blood tests.
- Being invited for a blood test does not necessarily mean that there is a problem. It is often simply part of the routine monitoring needed for your condition or medicines.
- The tests you need will depend on your individual circumstances, including your health conditions, medicines and when you last had the relevant tests.
Why are we contacting patients around their birth month?
- We are introducing a more organised approach to annual reviews by aiming to invite patients for their routine long-term condition checks around their birth month.
- This helps us bring the different parts of your annual review together and makes it easier to make sure important checks are completed each year.
- Where possible, we will arrange your blood tests before your clinical review, so that your results are available when you are reviewed.
Our aim is to:
- Reduce unnecessary appointments by coordinating your checks where possible.
- Make your annual review simpler and more organised.
- Avoid you having to attend the practice multiple times for different parts of your review.
- Make sure important monitoring is not missed.
- Ensure everyone receives their annual review, particularly as our practice continues to grow.
- Identify any changes in your health or treatment at an early stage.
This approach allows us to plan your care proactively rather than waiting until individual checks become overdue.
Do I need another blood test if I have had one recently?
Not necessarily.
- We appreciate that you may have recently had blood tests for another reason or through another NHS service.
- We will review your records to determine whether your recent results provide the information needed for your annual review. Sometimes the tests required for long-term condition monitoring are different from those taken for another reason, or a result may no longer be recent enough for the monitoring required.
- If you have recently had blood tests elsewhere, please let us know when contacting the practice. We can check your records and confirm whether any further tests are needed.
What happens after my blood test?
Once the necessary checks have been completed, you may be contacted or offered an appointment for your annual review, depending on your individual condition and the checks required.
Your review may include:
- discussing how you are getting on with your condition;
- checking your symptoms and general health;
- reviewing your medicines;
- discussing your blood test or other results;
- checking for any complications or changes; and
- agreeing any changes or further support that may be needed.
Not everyone will need exactly the same tests or appointments. Your care will be based on your individual needs.
Why are we changing our approach?
- As our practice continues to grow, it is increasingly important that we have a reliable system for making sure patients do not unintentionally miss their annual monitoring.
- Organising reviews around your birth month gives us a consistent way of inviting patients and tracking their care throughout the year.
Our aim is simple: to make your routine care more coordinated, reduce unnecessary visits and help ensure that important annual reviews are not missed.