Health guides

Written for patients, not for search engines — what a test measures, when it is worth doing, and how to read the result you get back.

Before your test

Home sample collection: what actually happens, and how to prepare

A phlebotomist at your door, an OTP, barcoded tubes and a report by tomorrow. What the visit involves, what to have ready, and what should never happen.

Before your test

What "fasting" before a blood test actually means

Ten hours, water allowed, tea is not. The small details that decide whether your result is usable — and which tests need no fasting at all.