Private blood test prices: FBC, thyroid, vitamin D and more

Single test prices

The cheapest way to buy one marker is a finger-prick kit posted to your home. You prick a finger, fill a small tube and post it back in the prepaid envelope. Prices read on 22 October 2026:

Randox's vitamin D page shows a banner price of £36 and a header total of £46 for its QuickDraw kit, which draws from the upper arm with a Tasso device. The separate finger-prick kit is listed at £36. Superdrug's £89 thyroid test may carry an extra £20 consultation fee. Superdrug's other test pages did not load on the day, so no further Superdrug prices are given.

Medichecks' Core Health test covers HbA1c, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, non-HDL, the cholesterol to HDL ratio and triglycerides. Its testosterone test adds albumin and SHBG to total and free testosterone. Turnaround times are estimates from the day the lab receives your sample, and Medichecks says they are not a guarantee.

Finger prick vs venous

A finger-prick sample is free to collect at home. A venous sample, drawn from a vein in the arm, costs extra unless you can arrange it yourself. Medichecks' options are the same across its tests:

So a £45 thyroid test by finger prick becomes £80 at a clinic or £104 with a home nurse. The full blood count has no finger-prick option, so the minimum cost is £59 plus the draw, £94 at a clinic.

Some markers need a venous sample because the lab needs more blood or because cells must be counted intact. A full blood count is the common example. Thriva's general health check asks you to fill two tubes, about 10 drops, from a finger prick.

Package screens

A package bundles many markers for one price and usually works out cheaper per marker, at the cost of paying for tests you did not ask for.

Thriva's £117 is the subscription price, with 15% off the first subscription test. Its page did not show a one-off price. Bluecrest's Core package is taken by a specialist at a clinic. Its page does not list thyroid, vitamin D or testosterone among the 36 readings. Bluecrest sells a separate Male Testosterone Profile at £119 and a Core Vitamins Profile at £99. Randox's Everyman page lists test categories rather than individual markers and says the menu can change.

Nuffield Health's Pathology Direct service takes venous samples at its hospitals. Its pages read on the day did not show prices per test and charge a £10 fee to cancel a booking.

What the NHS does for free

An NHS blood test costs nothing when a GP, nurse or specialist orders it. The NHS website lists four reasons a test is arranged: to check general health, to see whether symptoms are caused by a condition, to assess risk of developing a condition, and to track how well a condition is managed. The test is usually done at a GP surgery or hospital and takes about 10 minutes. Results come after a few days and usually within a few weeks.

The difference from the private market is who decides. On the NHS the clinician orders the test when there is a clinical reason. Privately, you order it yourself. A full blood count, thyroid function, HbA1c, cholesterol and vitamin D are all routine NHS tests when indicated, and the result goes into your NHS record where it can be acted on.

In England, adults aged 40 to 74 without certain existing conditions are invited to a free NHS Health Check every five years. It includes a cholesterol test, a blood pressure test and possibly a blood sugar test, along with height, weight and waist measurements. If you are in the age range and have not been invited, ask your GP practice.

Steps before you buy

1. Ask your GP first if you have symptoms. A test the NHS orders for a clinical reason is free and the result is acted on.
2. Check whether the NHS Health Check covers it. For cholesterol and blood sugar in England between 40 and 74, it may.
3. Pick the single test over the package if you want one marker. Vitamin D alone is £36 to £39 against £117 for Thriva's seven-marker bundle.
4. Check the sample type. If venous is required, add £35 to £59 or find a clinic that charges less for a draw.
5. Count the turnaround from lab receipt, not from the day you post it.
6. Take the result to your NHS GP. A private result is not in your NHS record unless you share it.

Mistakes that cost money

Paying for a package when one marker was wanted. The gap between £39 and £239 is the price of 35 readings you may not need.

Missing the venous surcharge. The £59 full blood count is £94 or £118 once the draw is added.

Reading a subscription price as a one-off. Thriva's £117 renews unless cancelled.

Buying a private test that the NHS would have run free had you reported the symptom to your GP.

Treating a private result as advice. The Dose Club gives no medical advice. A result needs a clinician to interpret it.

Where the figures come from

Test prices, sample types and turnaround times are from the Medichecks, Randox Health, Thriva, Bluecrest Wellness, Superdrug Health Clinic and Nuffield Health pages listed in the sources, read on 22 October 2026. NHS facts are from the NHS website pages on blood tests and the NHS Health Check.