Spire Parkway Hospital offers a local facility to obtain samples for the DNA testing services provided by Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. Barts has been at the forefront of paternity testing for over 30 years and all the tests offered meet international quality standards (ISO 17025) and are accredited by the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office.
In addition to paternity they offer an extensive range of accredited tests that meet the requirements of immigration authorities. Immigration testing can often involve sourcing family samples worldwide. Barts has a range of clinics throughout the world and can arrange this for you. Please contact them for more information.
Their DNA tests can also be used to investigate complex family relationships, or used to investigate a person’s genetic ancestry.
Spire Parkway Hospital obtains samples on behalf of Barts. The service provided at Spire Parkway Hospital is completely confidential and swabs are sent securely to Barts for analysis.
Should I have a DNA test?
The result of a DNA test can have life-changing consequences and it is important that you consider these seriously. Before you decide to go ahead, Barts are very happy to answer your questions on the telephone.
Types of DNA Test:
There are a range of tests available which you can discuss directly with Barts. It is important that the appropriate test is done for your particular requirements and sometimes the fees may be slightly different, depending on the test you need.
What happens next?
Once you have decided to go ahead with the test, you should follow these steps:
1) Contact Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry on 020 7882 2274 to arrange an appointment. Please leave a message if the phone is not answered and they will endeavour to contact you within 24 hours. Please note that information regarding the costs for testing will be provided by Barts.
2) Barts will contact Spire Parkway Hospital who will in turn telephone you to arrange a convenient time for the samples to be obtained and also to advise of the documentation you will need to bring with you to your appointment. This will include:
• A current photograph of each person attending
• Evidence of current address for each person attending
• Some form of official photographic identification (passport, residence documents, photo driving licence). If none of these are available a birth certificate should be supplied
• If a child is to be tested, but the mother does not wish to give a sample, then the mother (or documented person with legal care and control) must still attend the appointment to provide consent. She must also provide the above identification.
Please note that if this documentation is not provided on the day, testing will not be carried out but a charge of £50 will still be incurred.
You may wonder why the mother needs to be tested in a paternity case. This is done for scientific reasons and helps to provide a conclusive result. The cost of the test remains the same, whether or not the mother is tested.
3) When you arrive at Spire Parkway Hospital, you will be required to complete a hospital registration form before any samples are obtained for testing.
4) The samples will be obtained by a registered nurse at a cost of £50 per person, which is payable on the day the sample is taken. This payment is in addition to fee taken by Barts.
5) The samples are securely sealed in your presence and returned to Barts for analysis. You will receive your results by post from Barts in around ten working days after receipt of the samples.
6) If you have any queries regarding your results, please contact Barts directly on 020 7882 2274. Spire Parkway Hospital is unable to deal with any queries relating to results.