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HbA1c Blood Sugar Test
HbA1c, the average of your blood sugar over roughly the past two to three months, from a single sample with no fasting.
- Doctor-reviewed results
- Laboratory analysis
- 1 to 2 working days from lab receipt
- No fasting required
What’s included
1 marker measured
HbA1c
Reflects blood glucose control over roughly the previous 8 to 12 weeks, without the need to fast. It is used to diagnose type 2 diabetes, but can be misleading in pregnancy, soon after symptoms start, and in people with abnormal haemoglobin, such as sickle cell trait, or altered red blood cell turnover.
Overview
HbA1c is the standard measure of blood sugar control, and unlike a single glucose reading it is not thrown off by what you ate that morning. People test it when diabetes runs in the family, when weight has crept up around the middle, after a borderline reading somewhere else, or because they want a clear starting point before changing their diet or activity.
Sugar in the blood sticks to haemoglobin inside red blood cells, so the amount stuck to them reflects your average blood sugar over the past two to three months. That makes it a steadier measure than a one-off glucose reading, which moves with whatever you ate that morning. UK guidance uses it to describe blood sugar control and to identify people at higher risk of type 2 diabetes.
Who this is for and who it isn’t
Who it’s for
- Adults aged 18 and over
- Adults with diabetes in the family or weight gain around the middle
- Anyone who wants a clear starting point for their blood sugar, with no fasting needed
Who it isn’t for
- This is a single number, and it is not a general health check: it says nothing about your liver, kidneys, cholesterol, thyroid or blood count. If you want the wider picture, the Well Person Check with Cholesterol covers all of those and includes HbA1c, though it costs more and is a clinic blood test. If you are very thirsty, passing urine much more than usual, losing weight without trying or feel unwell, contact your GP promptly rather than ordering a test.
- HbA1c is also unreliable if you have a condition that shortens the life of red blood cells, such as sickle cell disease, thalassaemia, some types of anaemia or a recent blood transfusion, because the test depends on the usual lifespan of your red blood cells. In pregnancy the glucose tolerance test is the one used instead.
- 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
- Diabetes in a parent, brother or sister
- Weight gain around the middle over the past few years
- A raised blood sugar reading at a pharmacy or health check
- A previous borderline blood sugar you never followed up
- Wanting a baseline before changing your diet or activity
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.
- HbA1c▲ High
- Result
- 44 mmol/mol
- Range
- 20–41
| Marker | Result | Units | Range | Flag |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HbA1c | 44 | mmol/mol | 20–41 | ▲ High |
Doctor’s note (example)
HbA1c is in the prediabetes band (42 to 47). This is the stage where changes to weight, diet and activity can bring it down; a repeat in three to six months shows the direction of travel.
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
- Your kit arrivesPosted to your door, with instructions and what you need to send your sample back.
- You take your sampleFinger-prick sample at home, or a clinic blood draw, your choice
- 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
- Home finger-prick kit
- 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
Do I need to fast?
No. HbA1c reflects the past two to three months, so what you eat before the sample makes no difference. Any time of day is fine.
What do the numbers mean?
UK laboratories report HbA1c in mmol/mol. Below 42 is the normal range, 42 to 47 is the band usually described as prediabetes, and 48 and above is the level at which a doctor would arrange confirmation. The reviewing doctor explains where your figure sits and what usually follows.
Can a home finger-prick sample measure HbA1c?
Yes. HbA1c is measured on whole blood, and the laboratory accepts it from a small tube you fill from a fingertip. If your result is 48 mmol/mol or above, your GP will usually arrange a repeat test to confirm whether you have diabetes.
How soon can changes show up?
Because it reflects roughly the past two to three months, it changes gradually. Around three months is the usual gap before a repeat, and how often to test after that is a question for your GP.
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?
Both, it is your choice at checkout. Either collect a finger-prick sample at home with the posted kit and send it back as the instructions explain, or book a clinic appointment and have a trained clinician take the sample 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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