Q. You have sent me a result of Vitamin D = 12 nmol/L which is in the severe deficiency area. What should I do? A. Firstly please appreciate that this is not unusual. Many people in the UK have surprisingly low levels of Vitamin D. Levels this low need supplementation and you should discuss this further with your GP or pharmacist locally. They can advise on the correct approach to get levels into the healthy area. Q. How long does my test pack take to arrive? A. We send kits out by Royal Mail 1st class post on weekdays or by airmail for overseas orders. So you should receive your pack within a few days of placing your order. Q. Tell me about Vitamin D and Coronavirus - is this important and scientifically proven? A. This is an area that scientists are looking at very closely and we are supporting that in our NHS laboratory including people using our direct to the public test kits. A very large study is being conducted in the UK at Queen Mary University. The Lancet pointed to it in their excellent editorial of 20th May 2020 : Vitamin-D and COVID-19: do deficient risk a poorer outcome? You can read it here…. Q. Can I use the test on my child? A. The test is designed for adults. If you use the kit on children we advise that you have a trained nurse or phlebotomist help take the sample. Q. How many times can I test myself? A. For personal use we do not recommend that you test yourself more than twice a year. The multi-packs are really meant for professional workers such as nutritionists and University researchers. Q. Can you direct me to an easy to understand article about Vitamin D? A. Yes, this NHS advice is clearly written and covers a lot of areas and we find very helpful.. Q. I have been reading some overseas websites and they use ng/ml rather than nmol/L. Can you tell me how to convert please? A. To convert ng/ml to nmol/L multiply the ng/ml by 2.5. For example 50 ng/ml is equivalent to 125 nmol/L. Q. How long does it take to receive results? A. Once we receive your sample in the laboratory our aim is you will receive results within 10 working days, but this can vary depending on workload. Q. Can you measure Vitamin D in animals? A. Yes, we have been working with major zoological societies and researchers in the UK since 2012 to monitor Vitamin D levels in a wide range of animals from monkeys to reptiles and birds. Of course results need careful interpretation with veterinary reference intervals rather than those we use for humans. Q. Do you send packs overseas? A. Yes, we send kits as far away as New Zealand. Q. I want to test my extended family to check all our Vitamin D levels. Can we order the discounted professional pack of 10 kits? A. Yes, we are seeing this quite a lot - both for family and work situations - the pack comes with 10 individually wrapped kits for you to distribute to individuals. Q. What is the connection between Birmingham Picture Library and the Vitamin D testing service? A. Birmingham Picture Library is the organisation appearing on your bank statement. Birmingham Picture Library is run by the former Pathology DIrector who set up the service. Now retired from the NHS, Jonathan Berg is currently working on a new book - Birmingham’s Public art. You can find out more here…

BCPS-V. 2020/18/2 Last Updated: 24th February 2023 Review Date: 24h February 2026