I have to agree with you, Golden, that it is very annoying when you (often) cannot order lab tests in the UK, except through your doctor or health practitioner.
I don't mind my doctor getting a copy of my test results (in fact, I would hope he does take an interest in the results).
However, I find having to do everything through your doctor is very exhausting, when you have a very fatiguing disease like ME/CFS.
It just takes a lot of effort to get even just one test done in the UK: first you need to visit your doctor to ask his permission to take the tests, and ask if he does not mind signing the test requisition form. Normally they will oblige if you ask them, but it does not seem right that you should have to ask your doctor's permission to take a simple blood test.
Next you have to go to the testing lab, to give a blood/saliva/urine sample, so that the test can be performed.
Then, as you await the results, you have to phone up you doctor's surgery every week, to check whether the results are in.
Then when the results are in, you need to make another appointment with your doctor, in order to have him tell you the results. You also have to ask him nicely for a copy of your results, and you have to ask the staff at the surgery if they would kindly make a photocopy of the results for you. A lot of extra effort.
All this makes taking a test quite hard for people with ME/CFS, who have to cope with often severe fatigue, brain fog, anxiety, etc, etc.
Some tips:
If you take a test at
TDL (in London and Manchester), they will email a copy of your results directly to you, provided you ask you doctor to write "release results to patient" on the initial test requisition form. This makes things slightly easier.
Here is a list of pathology labs in the UK:
Genova Diagnostics
Great Plains Laboratory
Biolab Medical Unit
Neuro Lab
Nutrition Geeks
The Doctors Laboratory (TDL)
TDL Manchester
YorkTest Laboratories
MELISA Diagnostics Ltd
Medichecks (sends samples to TDL)
I have only used TDL and Genova Diagnostics myself. Both now require referral from a health practitioner before they will give you a test. Originally, Genova Diagnostics, when they first came to the UK, would allow you to deal with them directly, but now they don't; so I guess they must have buckled under pressure from the UK medical establishment to stop dealing with patients directly.
I think Biolab allow patients to deal with them directly, but their range of tests is not that great.
I am not sure about the other labs, and whether they allow directing dealing or not.