[Lara Croft]

I picked up our medical results today, in a thick sealed envelope. The receptionist warned me that opening the envelope would invalidate the results, which I suppose is fair enough. However, she tells me that we cannot find out what the results are - i.e. if we have passed or not! How mad is that??!? :confused:

It was late when I collected them, and the doctors & secretaries had all gone home, so I will ring them on Monday. I'd quite like to know if we passed or not. If we haven't, then I'd like to try and take a re-test if necessary, or take whatever remedial action is needed - rather than just submitting it blindly!

What did everyone else do?
BTW - I saw the lovely Dr Smith, on St John Street, Manchester

Thanks,
Jane

[BkyMonster]

I've read on here that sealed medicals aren't necessary for NZ, though they are for Australia, so perhaps the receptionist is misinformed?
Of course I'm not at that point yet, and certainly better to be safe than sorry.
It does seem totally ridiculous that they won't tell you about your results.
Calling the doctor seems to be a good idea.

[Jo Jo]

I can't remember whether mine were sealed or not, but I had a good read of them and photocopied them before submitting them to NZ House. And it must have been okay because I got PR.

[SarahEDH]

I submitted my ITA in July '06, and so I have no knowledge of changes since then, but I only followed what was specifically required on the NZIS medical form. At that time, there was not a word about providing unsealed medical reports as supporting documents, although I did have to furnish the original lab report on bloodwork (and an x-ray relating to an "abnormal" spinal thing, which was no biggie).

I can't conceive of a system that would deny you information about your own results. Hope you can get through to the right person who will help --

[Mickstim]

We read ours and had no queries from NZIS about it. Couldn't you put them in a fresh envelope and seal it when you have had a look, if it worries you?

[Cardy]

I,m sure we looked at ours but the doctors at the medical centre in birmingham were really good and told us what was happening anyway

[Kim39]

We had ours done here in New Zealand by our GP, he went through all the results with us.

Elaine (Kim39 oh)

[victoria]

Load of twaddle!!! They're your property .... you paid for them. I opened ours & just as well because the doctor hadn't signed them off! So I took them back. No problemo. Am I right in thinking you're still in the UK?

[Andy-Dee]

We went to the same surgery and we opened ours and had a good read, and were very competitive about the results - yes I do have the lowest cholesterol - and we now have PM.

So I agree with Victoria - load of twaddle!

[Sam B]

I opened mine and then put them in another envelope and copied the writing on the front, just to be safe.

[BaldyBeardyBloke]

We were told they were supoosed to be sealed, but they arrived by post with us from our docs. We assumed the huge envelope would contain our 4 sealed reports, so opened it. They were not sealed inside.

Like Victoria, we then found one section hadn't been completed and one bit hadn't been signed, so it was a good job we looked.

Anyway, it turned out not to be a problem that we'd opened them.

As for 'passing' the medical, your doctor cannot tell you definitively as all he does is report on the facts. The NZIS people decide whether your results are acceptable. Having said that there are commonly known 'acceptable limits' for each test, and if you're within these there is very little chance of anything being a problem for NZIS.

My LFT test was above the upper limit, but my doc wrote on the form something along the lines of 'I don't perceive this as a problem given the other test results'. He just did this of his own accord. No idea whether it influenced NZIS, but we got PR with no problems.

[CjChris]

Mine were not sealed when we got them, so I looked over everything, researched all the jargon I didn't understand, called the doctor back over a couple things that alarmed me (and was duly fussed at by the nurse for reading my results...geeze) and then I put all the paperwork in with my ITA in an unsealed manilla envelope. No questions asked...all went well and we are here in NZ.

So, open 'em. and don't waste another minute worrying! Sometimes even if something looks like "you didn't pass" it still could end up that you do!! OH had to redo his cholestoral (SP) test, but something that seemed pretty alarming on my Xray didn't even get questioned.

Christine

[Lara Croft]

Thank you everyone! I shall go and open them...

Jane

[Clare & Dunc]

We opened ours, had a good read, looked some of the tests up on the net, photocopied them for the application and a spare for us.
Don't think the receptonist knew what she was on about. I did find that when I said to someone we where immigrating the assumed it is to OZ even if though I would say NZ repeatedly. My OH's father still says OZ and we are now here and it took 2 years to sort everything!!!!
Go on open them!!!! You know you want too.X

[Alison&Stephen]

Hi Jane,

We got our x-rays first, all sealed with stickers etc etc, but my OH is nosey and opened them in the hospital car park. Good job he did as our photos had not been 'verified' so he had to go back to see the radiologist. (Saved another 2 1/2 hour trip up to Inverness and then back home again!). Medical results we received in the post from the panel doctor which we opened, read, digested, tried to understand :confused: and then photocopied..........before sending down to London.

Alison.

[Lara Croft]

Well I opened the outer envelope. Inside were 3 smaller envelopes (labelled one for each of us), and these were not only sealed with tape, but the doctor had scrawled a signature across the seal prior to taping. How frustrating!

All I can do is phone the secretary tomorrow. Bah!

Jane

[snailandthewhale]

Jane, we went to Dr Smith in Manchester and following advice from this forum I ripped off the sellotape, signature / scribble and all. Checked them all, as it seems omissions / mistakes are quite common. Ours were fine and I didn't bother putting them in another envelope, just stuck them in the ITA as they were.
Didn't have any trouble from NZIS.
K

[Lara Croft]

Thanks Snailandthewhale!

And as you say, no trouble from NZIS as you seem to be in Auckland now...
I'll let you know what happens!

Jane

[marcia]

So come on have you opened them yet? :D

Seriously, On the ITA it does tell you (or it did when we did ours!0 not to use folders or seperate anything into binders for the ITA, so that means they don't want anything in separate envelopes. Our medicals weren't in a sealed envelope, but i took them out, checked each page had been filled in correctly, then put them in the pile in the appropriate place.

You really do need to check them to avoid any hassle with NZIS later on, if the doctor has missed something or there are any anomilies you need to sort it before it gets to them if you can. There is nothing on the ITa that says the medicals have to be sealed - as someone else has pointed out - they do have to be for AUS, so the receptionist is mistaken!

My advice (as is many others on here!)

RIP THEM OPEN! :nice1

(then let us all know that you have done and all is well - you're keeping us in suspenders here! :D )

[Familyofmonkeys]

Well I opened the outer envelope. Inside were 3 smaller envelopes (labelled one for each of us), and these were not only sealed with tape, but the doctor had scrawled a signature across the seal prior to taping. How frustrating!

All I can do is phone the secretary tomorrow. Bah!

Jane

Apparently this is required for Australian immigration medicals, and a lot of the Dr's (or their staff) get confused and believe you have to seal NZ medical reports too.

[Lara Croft]

Hello!
I played safe, and phoned the secretary this morning. She reiterated that they have to remain sealed, and then said, bizarrely, "there are no secrets". I think sealed and countersigned envelopes are a bit secretive, but there you go :)

She did say that the results must all be fine, and within tolerances, otherwise we would have been told.

My OH is a bit nervous about opening them, so they are still shut. Hmmmm.

Jane

[newkiwis2]

I had to have another letter from my own GP to the medical assesor and another blood test which my GP did which came back not what we wanted. It was onlt to do with VIT B. Anyway, the the medical assesor sent me a really nice ltter with my results and followed it up with a phone call so I did not actually have my x rays and things.
Ring the medical assesor and ask to speak to the doctor. They should tell you. You paid a lot of money for it !!

[kanatakiwi]

my doctor went over all my results with me, and in fact I helped with getting completed as she had me check it over to make sure she hadnt missed anything on the forms. Lucky because she had missed signing something. When I got to NZ, the NZIS receptionist would not take my X rays with my application, saying they would call for them if they needed them. Well they did and I had to trot downtown and give them to them, so of course by that time I had opened them and had a good look atthe report. Also they wanted something extra related to the blood tests, so I had to contact my doctor in Canada and have them fax me the missing info. So nothing very confidential about that.