How do I order a test, how long will it take, and what will it cost?
Relevant details relating to individual tests are given below, however please note the following points before proceeding further:
- Whilst we are very happy to provide technical advice and logistical assistance to members of the public, we can only accept referrals requests by appropriately registered healthcare professionals. Original copies of all analytical reports will always be sent to these referring individuals to ensure that the test results and any treatment implications are suitably discussed with you upon receipt.
- List prices for all our current tests are stated below, although bulk purchasers, such NHS Hospitals/Trusts and other healthcare institutions/organisations should contact us to discuss specific pricing and service level agreement (SLA) terms.
- There is no charge for pre-analytical assessment, hence any rejected specimens are handled and returned without cost. All samples accepted for processing will usually be charged at the full rates specified as we cannot be responsible for assay failures arising from local tissue handling procedures (e.g. excessive fixation / acid de-calcification) beyond our control.
- With regards to who pays for tests, many of our cases our already referred to us by NHS hospitals around the UK, although individual eligibility may depend both on cancer type and whether or not we are already a service provider to your local NHS Trust. Costs may also be covered under some private medical insurance policies or you can of course opt to self-pay.
- Greater than 95% of samples are consistently reported (click here to see live data) within the specified target turn-around times (TATs), but sometimes factors beyond our control mean that tests need to be repeated or that additional information and/or material is required before the analysis can commence. Such samples will always be reported as quickly as possible, but are likely to exceed these target turnaround times. Additionally, some samples may not meet the minimum requirements to be eligible for analysis, meaning that unfortunately they will have to be returned untested. To minimise the risk of this, please take a look at our full sample requirements page.
- If you are a patient, patients representative or healthcare professional and you have already decided which of our tests to proceed with, please click here for practical guidance on how to get the specimen to us as quickly and safely as possible and with the correct information to ensure that we can begin testing without delay.