• Royal Bolton Hospital open its door to host its first-ever Harvey’s Lab Tour
• 10-year-old Peyton was given the chance to see labs in action to help feel less anxious about tests
• Initiative aims to help families understand the importance of blood tests in healthcare

Royal Bolton Hospital has opened its testing laboratory doors to children for the very first time as they’re invited behind the scenes for an exciting glimpse into the world of healthcare science.

10-year-old Peyton joined her parents, Sarah and Ben, for the hospital’s first Harvey’s Lab Tour, a unique initiative that offers the chance for young people who visit hospital to see labs in action to help them and their families feel more at ease about the care they receive.

Peyton has a rare genetic condition that means she has to come to the hospital for regular blood tests and overnight stays and jumped at the chance to see what happens to samples and meet some of the biomedical science staff who analyse samples to help diagnose and manage people’s illnesses.

Once Peyton was kitted out in her very own lab coat, her tour started in specimen reception, where she was able to see how samples arrive through the pneumatic air tube system. She then had a tour around the clinical chemistry laboratory to see all the different machines and and have a go at pipetting some liquids. Peyton was then taken around the haematology and blood transfusion labs, where she got to have a look at some blood down the microscope.

Peyton said:

The tour has really helped me because now I have an understanding of what happens every time I have a blood test. I really enjoyed it from start to finish and it was cool how there was bags of blood in a fridge. I loved see how the blood bottles got sealed and being able to look at the cells through the microscope.

My favourite part was being able to mix and make different colours in the safelab and also being able to see the blood and platelets separate.

After the tour Peyton was presented with a special ‘Junior Trainee Biomedical Scientist’ certificate and Harvey’s Lab Tour goodie bag to celebrate her visit.

Mum, Sarah, said:

To see Peyton so fascinated by all the amazing equipment and facilities in the lab was amazing. The most beneficial part was that Peyton has anxiety around having her bloods done, and I do think doing the Harvey’s Lab Tour will help her understand why she’s having her bloods and be less anxious. I have also learned so much about the journey of a blood test.

‘Harvey’s Lab Tours’ was started by a biomedical scientist in blood transfusion, Malcom Robinson, who was asked to give a tour of his laboratory to Harvey Baldwin, a 7-year-old boy who was undergoing treatment for leukaemia at Worthing Hospital.

Harvey’s Lab Tours aim to help young patients to:

• Understand the importance of their blood tests and other samples.
• Meet the biomedical scientists who work behind the scenes.
• Feel more confident and in control of their healthcare journey.

Chris Hall, Biomedical Scientist at Bolton NHS Foundation Trust, said:

Giving a tour of the Laboratory to Peyton was such a lovely experience, I enjoyed answering her questions and seeing how curious she was about the work we do in the Lab.

“Peyton needs regular blood tests, so it was great for her to see what happens to her samples, as understandably regular visits can cause some anxiety in younger patients. We’re planning another tour already, so fingers crossed this will be a service we can offer to our younger patients who have regular blood tests.

Families who are interested can reach out to the hospital’s Play Specialists, who will help facilitate visits with the lab teams to ensure the visit to tailored appropriately to individual needs.

Harvey’s Lab Tours is ran by the Institute of Biomedical Science. To find out more, visit their website.