I’ve received an email to say my sample has failed. What should I do?

What should I do?

Occasionally, the laboratories are unable to test samples (a 'sample error').

This may be because the amount collected is insufficient for full analysis, the sample has deteriorated or clotted, or it has haemolysed (where red blood cells damaged during sample collection leak their contents into the surrounding plasma). 

If this happens, we will send you an email to let you know and ask how you wish to proceed to arrange a new sample to repeat the test. This will be provided as per your original order.

You can see more about why blood samples fail with this article.

Will I have to pay for another clinic or nurse home visit?

If you visited one of our partner clinics or had a nurse home visit and your sample failed, you will be able to collect your sample again without any additional payment, as per your original purchase.

If you made your own arrangements to have a venous sample collected by a medical professional, you will be responsible for making these arrangements yourself again, and for any costs incurred as a result.

If you wish to upgrade to a different sample collection method, you can do so by contacting us. 

Will I get a retest of my full test?

With our retests, we will perform a retest for the markers missing. On most occasions, this will be a smaller profile to capture the missing markers.

We will usually be able to tell you what went wrong with the original sample and give you some helpful tips for your second.

What if my sample fails a second time?

For finger-prick samples, we'll offer you an upgrade to a venous collection option, or a partial refund for the failed markers in your test. 

If you originally had a venous sample with your order, and a retest has failed, we'll offer you a partial refund for the failed markers.