Last updated: 24 September 2026
Which of these applies to you
You choose how your sample is collected before checkout, and that decides whether a kit is posted to you at all.
| Your route | What happens |
|---|---|
| Finger prick at home | We post your kit to you. You collect the sample yourself and post it the same day. |
| Clinic appointment | We post your kit to you. You take it to your appointment. You post the sample the same day. |
| London walk-in centre | Nothing is posted, in either direction. The laboratory contacts you once your order is placed. You walk in to their Wimpole Street centre with photographic identification, their own team takes your sample, and it goes into the laboratory by their internal courier. There is no kit and nothing for you to post. |
| Nurse home visit | Nothing is posted, in either direction. A nurse brings the tubes to your address and returns your sample directly to the laboratory. |
| Your own arrangement | We post your kit to you. Your phlebotomist uses it. You post the sample the same day. |
If you booked a nurse home visit or the London walk-in centre, no kit is sent to you and the sections below about dispatch, delivery and posting do not apply. The section on how long your order stays open does apply to you — see below.
Dispatch
Kits are dispatched within 2 working days of order confirmation, Monday to Friday excluding bank holidays.
Delivery
Royal Mail Tracked 48, typically 2–3 working days after dispatch. Delivery is free within the UK. We deliver to UK addresses only, including Northern Ireland, the Isle of Man and the Channel Islands, where delivery may take longer.
Timescales are estimates, not guarantees.
Tracking
We email tracking details at dispatch. Check your spam folder if it has not arrived within 24 hours.
Not arrived?
If your kit has not arrived within 10 working days of dispatch, email contact@n1health.co.uk and we will send a replacement free of charge.
Discreet packaging
Kits arrive in plain outer packaging with no indication of contents.
When your kit arrives — check it
Check for damage, missing components, and tube expiry dates. Report any problem within 7 days for a free replacement.
How long your order stays open — 120 days
Whichever route you chose, your order stays open for 120 days from the date you placed it. Within that time you need to have used your kit, attended the London walk-in centre, or had your nurse home visit.
After 120 days the order closes. We can reopen it for a £20 reactivation fee, and where a kit is involved we will send you a fresh one.
Why there is a limit at all. Where a kit has been posted, blood collection tubes contain additives and hold a vacuum, and both degrade — a sample taken in expired tubes may be rejected, and that is not refundable. Where no kit is posted, the limit is simply how long we hold an order open before it has to be set up again. One period applies to every route so there is a single date to remember.
If you think you will not make it in time, contact us before the 120 days are up. It is much easier to sort out then.
Returning your sample
Return postage is included. Your kit contains prepaid packaging and full instructions.
Post the same day your sample is taken, before that day’s final collection.
Collect your sample on a Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday, and never post on a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, or the day before a bank holiday — your sample would sit in the postal system over a weekend and degrade. This applies to every order, finger-prick orders included.
Having your blood taken
Some of our tests can be collected by finger prick at home. Where that option is available it is shown on the product page and you choose it before adding the product to your basket. Finger-prick samples fail more often than venous ones, and we publish the detail here, before you buy.
Everything else needs a venous sample taken by a trained professional. For a venous order you choose one of four collection options in your basket before checkout: a clinic appointment, the laboratory’s London walk-in centre, a nurse home visit, or a draw you arrange yourself. See How It Works for what each of them costs.
If you are booking a clinic appointment or arranging your own draw, please check that one is available near you before ordering. If you are not sure, email us your postcode at contact@n1health.co.uk and we will tell you.
Questions
contact@n1health.co.uk
N1 Health Group Ltd is a company registered in England and Wales. Company number 17398954. Registered office: 71-75 Shelton Street, Covent Garden, London, WC2H 9JQ.