Press release – issued 8 November 2024
2024/021 

Young people take part in hospital laboratory tour to mark National Pathology Week 

Young patients and college students celebrated National Pathology Week (4 to 10 November) by taking part in activities to raise awareness about the crucial role of pathology in everybody’s health.  

Matilda Smith, who is four years old and lives in Hereford, is one of a group of young patients who had a look around the laboratory at Hereford County on Thursday 7 November, as part of the Harvey’s Gang Tour, which is a registered charity that encourages and helps children to have an understanding of illness and the necessity to give blood samples.

The tours gives young patients an opportunity to see where their blood sample goes after it has been taken, and how their Doctor will get the results back to know how to treat them.  They see which machines it goes on and even have a look at what blood cells look like down a microscope.  

Matilda’s grandpa who previously worked in a hospital lab as a biomedical scientist has inspired her to find out more.  Matilda said: “I was super excited to wear a lab coat and see where my bloods go”.

Also during that week, a group of Hereford Sixth Form College students, who are studying Biology, Chemistry and other subjects, as they prepare to move on to possible careers in healthcare and biomedical science, went behind the scenes at Hereford County Hospital laboratory to understand the work of the biomedical scientists who process and validate patient samples and manage the testing facilities needed to provide high quality healthcare to patients.

National Pathology Week (4 to 10 November) is an annual celebration of pathology to highlight the important contribution pathologists make to healthcare. 70 per cent of diagnoses in the NHS are based on pathology results provided by laboratory services.  Wye Valley NHS Trust hosted a week of activities to celebrate National Pathology Week, including a school visit, lab tours and educational sessions.

Andrea Johnson, cellular pathology and microbiology manager at Wye Valley NHS Trust, who hosted the visits, said: “This has been a great opportunity to spend time with the young patients and students helping to increase their awareness and understanding of pathology, and spark their interest in science as a future career.  It can also help children and younger people who need to have a test, such as for a blood or urine sample, if they understand where the sample goes to be tested, and how and why it is tested. 

“From blood tests, treatment advice through to devising new treatments to fight viruses, infections and diseases, pathologists are at the heart of patient care and diagnosis.”

Phil Evans, Careers Adviser from Hereford Sixth Form College said: “This is a great opportunity for our students to gain a real understanding of some of the remarkable technology that is used in a medical laboratory and of how biomedical science underpins modern healthcare.”

Photos

Left to right below – Matilda Smith (young patient) with her grandpa, Bryan Smith, and her mum, Donna Smith, looking at blood samples through a microscope.

Left to right below:   front row Matilda Smith (young patient) and mum, Donna Smith. Back row, grandpa Bryan Smith. Matilda is scanning a blood sample bottle ready for the analyser. 

Left to right below: Andrea Johnson, cellular pathology and microbiology manager at Wye Valley NHS Trust with a group of Hereford Sixth Form College students attending the Lab tour at Hereford County Hospital.