Hospital correspondence is usually received late morning. To allow your doctor time to check this, please telephone or call at reception after 11am. If your test is abnormal the surgery will contact you, but please be patient as some results take longer to come back. Most results take up to seven days to be returned and your doctor will inform you if this is likely to be longer.

Please note: test results organised by the hospital specialist generally are not sent directly back to the surgery.

An X-ray is a widely used diagnostic test to examine the inside of the body. X-rays are a very effective way of detecting problems with bones, such as fractures. They can also often identify problems with soft tissue, such as pneumonia or breast cancer.

If you have an X-ray, you will be asked to lie on a table or stand against a surface so that the part of your body being X-rayed is between the X-ray tube and the photographic plate.

An X-ray is usually carried out by a radiographer, a healthcare professional who specialises in using imaging technology, such as X-rays and ultrasound scanners.

You can find out more about x-ray tests, how they are performed, their function and the risks by visiting the NHS Choices website.