Finger Prick Blood Test Kits

By placing the lancet against your finger, a hidden needle springs out to puncture your skin. The needle then safely pops back into the lancet device. The lancet is a sterile class 2 CA Marked medical device.

Typically, we will need 15-18 drops of blood for your home blood test. although single biomarker tests generally require less. This equates to around 800 microlitres, or 0.8 millilitres. Visually, this is about 1/8 of a teaspoon – so not very much at all. Definitely not an armful!

Yes it does a little. But having a finger prick home blood test hurts a lot less than a nurse extracting blood from your arm using a vacutainer needle. We’ve trialled five different lancets and supply the one that delivers the best results, enabling you to send a good quality sample to the lab.

We can offer a finger prick home test kit for children of all ages. Please note: Our IgG Food Intolerance Test is only suitable for children aged 2 and above.

Some people may prefer a vacutainer sample collection because it provides a larger and more consistent blood sample, which can be beneficial for certain tests or for individuals who find finger-prick sampling uncomfortable or difficult.

We’ll recommend the most suitable collection method based on the test you’re taking. If both options are available, you can choose the one that best fits your comfort and needs.

Yes, if your test allows it. Our team can guide you through alternative options.

Finger-prick samples can occasionally fail for a few reasons. The most common include not collecting enough blood, the sample clotting before it reaches the collection tube, or delays in sending the sample to the lab. Cold hands, dehydration, or difficulty getting blood flow can also affect sample quality. If a finger-prick sample isn’t suitable, we’ll guide you on next steps, which may include repeating the test or using a vacutainer (venous) blood collection instead.

There are a number of factors that we have no control over and hence cannot guarantee them:

1. Outbound Postage - We cannot guarantee that your kit will get to you on a specific date. Postage options are outlined at checkout at each test combination may use different postage options.
2. Return Sample - Your sample/s should be posted the same day it has been taken. We provide a self-addressed, pre-paid return envelope within your kit, for your use.  We recommend posting your sample Monday – Wednesday.  Should the test/profile need to be back with the Laboratory the next working day, you are financially responsible to arrange this with your local Post Office when sending back. We recommend posting your sample Monday – Thursday. If you do not use a guaranteed next day service back to the Laboratory (posting Monday - Thursday and therefore the sample arriving at the laboratory Tuesday - Friday) we cannot guarantee that the blood will be testable due to clotting of the sample. If you do use a guaranteed next day service within the suggested Monday - Thursday window and the sample has clotted to an extent that some of the Laboratory values cannot be measured, we will honour a refund which will be given in full if no parameters are returned. With profiles, a partial refund will be given as a proportion of tests within that profile that have haemolysed. For example,  if a Female Hormone profile were ordered which includes 4 tests and one of those could not be reported, a refund of 25% of the total price of that profile would be given.  If the profile is required in its entirety and a partial refund does not help your clinical picture, then a postal test kit may not be suitable for you as an individual and you may like to instead explore other Blue Horizon Medicals Services that utilise an appointment at a private clinic and your blood is not left to the fate of the postal service.