Clinic appointment
Anaemia Check
A full blood count and ESR together with the three nutrients the body needs to make healthy red blood cells: iron, active vitamin B12 and red-cell folate.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
6 markers measured
Full blood count
Measures how many blood cells you have. It is a common blood test, used to look for blood problems such as iron deficiency anaemia.
ESR
Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, a blood marker of inflammation often requested alongside CRP. In someone with suspected polymyalgia rheumatica, a raised level supports the diagnosis, although the condition can still be diagnosed when inflammatory markers are normal.
Iron
The amount of iron in your blood. Total iron-binding capacity (TIBC) reflects the blood's ability to bind and carry iron, and relates to the amount of transferrin, a protein made by the liver. In iron deficiency anaemia, iron is low and TIBC high. With too much iron, as in haemochromatosis, iron is high and TIBC low or normal.
Ferritin
Your stored iron, the reserve tank. Stores usually fall first, so ferritin can show low iron while the blood count still looks normal. Inflammation can push it up, which is why ESR or CRP is useful alongside.
Active vitamin B12
The part of your vitamin B12 that your cells can actually use. B12 supports nerves and red blood cells. UK guidance accepts either active or total B12 as a first test, and recent supplements or injections can raise the result without fully treating a deficiency.
Red-cell folate
Folate measured inside red blood cells. It may be checked when folate deficiency is strongly suspected but the standard blood folate level is normal, once vitamin B12 deficiency has been ruled out. A low result fits with folate deficiency if B12 is not also low.
Overview
A first look at the common nutritional causes of anaemia, for someone who is tired, pale, breathless on stairs or noticing hair loss: a full blood count, an inflammation marker, and the three nutrients whose shortage can lead to a low count: iron, vitamin B12 and folate. Iron and ferritin are measured together because ferritin shows what is in the store while iron shows what is circulating today.
Brings the blood count together with the main nutrient markers behind it, so a doctor can see not just whether red cells look unusual but which nutrient picture sits behind that.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Adults aged 18 and over
- Anyone tired whose full blood count came back normal
- People on a vegetarian or vegan diet who want B12 and folate checked
Who it isn’t for
- Tiredness has many causes and this panel covers only some of them. It does not include thyroid or blood sugar, both of which can cause the same symptoms, so if you want one test that covers the widest ground a general health check does more. If you are losing weight without trying, passing blood, or your tiredness came on suddenly, contact your GP rather than starting with a private test.
- Anyone with a new, severe or worsening symptom: contact your GP or call NHS 111. A test you buy today is not a substitute for being examined.
Common reasons people choose this test
- Tiredness, low energy or feeling breathless going up stairs
- Looking pale, or being told you look pale
- Heavy periods
- Hair thinning or changes to your nails
- Restless legs at night
- Frequent headaches
These are reasons people choose to test, not signs that something is wrong. A result is one part of a picture your doctor puts together with your history and an examination.
What your result looks like
Every result is shown with the unit and the reference range exactly as the laboratory reported it, with the doctor’s note underneath.
- Haemoglobin▼ Low
- Result
- 108 g/L
- Range
- 120–150 / 130–170
- ESRIn range
- Result
- 8 mm/hr
- Range
- <20
- IronIn range
- Result
- 17 µmol/L
- Range
- 10–30
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haemoglobin | 108 | g/L | 120–150 / 130–170 | ▼ Low |
| ESR | 8 | mm/hr | <20 | In range |
| Iron | 17 | µmol/L | 10–30 | In range |
Doctor’s note (example)
Haemoglobin is a little below the range and the red cells are on the small side, which most often points to low iron. I would check ferritin next; this is common and usually straightforward to put right.
…and 3 more markers. Ranges shown as women / men. Values above are examples. Your report shows your own results with the laboratory’s units and reference range for your age and sex, reviewed, signed and released by a GMC-registered doctor.
How it works
- You book your appointmentA trained clinician takes your sample at one of our London clinics. Nothing to do at home.
- The clinician takes your sampleA single clinic blood draw by a trained clinician
- The laboratory analyses itYour sample is processed for the measurements included in this test. Lab processing typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receipt of your sample.
- A doctor reviews and releases itA GMC-registered doctor reads every result and signs the report before it reaches you.
- Sample
- Clinic blood draw
- Preparation
- No fasting required
- Who it's for
- Any sex · ages 18+
How to prepare
What we can and can’t tell you
The reference range beside each result is the laboratory’s own. A result in range is not a clean bill of health and a result outside it is not a diagnosis. Most ranges cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one range. No test result replaces an examination or your own doctor’s judgement, and none of these panels is a cancer screening programme.
Read the full note
The reference range printed beside each of your results is the laboratory's own, and it is the range that applies to your result. We do not apply a second range of our own, and we do not tell you that a result the laboratory reported as normal is nonetheless too low or too high. If you see a claim elsewhere that your result ought to sit inside a narrower band than the one the laboratory printed, treat it with caution and ask your doctor.
Some assays cannot give an exact figure above or below a certain point, and those results are reported the way the laboratory sends them, for example as a value greater than a stated number. A result in range is not a clean bill of health, and a result outside a range is not a diagnosis: most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so some healthy people fall just outside them. No blood test replaces an examination, a scan or your own doctor's judgement, and none of these panels is a screening programme for cancer.
If you have a symptom that is new, severe, or getting worse, contact your GP or NHS 111 rather than waiting for a test result. In an emergency call 999.
Frequently asked questions
Why measure both iron and ferritin?
Iron in the blood moves around during the day and with what you have eaten. Ferritin reflects the size of the store your body keeps, which is the more stable number, and the two are read together.
I take an iron supplement. Should I stop before testing?
Supplements raise the circulating iron result, so it may reflect this morning's tablet more than your stores. Whether to pause it, and for how long, is a question for your GP.
Does this cover coeliac disease?
No. Coeliac disease can be a cause of low iron or folate and it is tested for separately. If that is the question, discuss it with your GP, who can arrange the right test and the dietary preparation it needs.
How long do results take?
The laboratory typically takes 1 to 2 working days from receiving your sample. This does not include kit delivery, sample collection or return postage. A doctor reviews your results before they are released.
Can I choose a home kit or a clinic?
This test is a clinic blood draw, as it needs a venous sample for accuracy. We arrange a convenient appointment for you.
Is a doctor involved?
Yes. Every result is reviewed by a GMC-registered doctor who signs it off and explains what it means and what to do next.
Is it confidential?
Your results are available through your secure patient portal. Our privacy policy explains how your information is handled and when it may be shared to provide your care.
What happens to my sample and results?
Your sample is analysed at a UKAS-accredited laboratory (ISO 15189). A GMC-registered doctor then reads every result and signs the report before it is released, so nothing reaches you unreviewed. There is no option to receive results without a doctor reading them first. The report arrives in your secure portal in plain English: each result with its unit and the laboratory's own reference range, and the doctor's note on what the set means read together. If a result sits outside its range the report says so and explains what usually happens next, which is most often a conversation with your own GP, who can act on it alongside your history and examination. Most reference ranges are set to cover about 95% of healthy people, so about 1 in 20 healthy people fall just outside any one of them. On a report with many results it is common for one to sit just outside its range, and a single number on its own rarely tells the whole story. If a result needs urgent attention, the reviewing doctor is alerted straight away and we contact you by phone the same working day rather than leaving it in the portal for you to find. If a specific result needs rechecking, the reviewing doctor says so in your report.
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