A family tour at University Hospital Southampton

University Hospital Southampton recently hosted their biggest Harvey’s Lab Tours visit to date, welcoming Haemophilia A patients Tomás and Louis into the laboratory, along with their sister Aoife and parents Francesca and David.

It was a proper family day out, and a special one, as the family had travelled a long way to be there. Because they were already coming in for clinic, the team worked hard to fit the tour in between blood tests and appointments, so they didn’t have to make the journey twice.

This tour was a little different to the usual format, and that was largely down to a question from Tomás.

He wanted to know: 'How does factor VIII help clotting?'

To help answer it, the family were taken into the coagulation department, which isn’t always part of the standard tour. There, they met the Senior Biomedical Scientist in the section and got a closer look at how coagulation testing works, including how samples are processed and how reagents are prepared. They also learned more about centrifugation and got to see the analysers used to run tests like the ones Tomás and Louis rely on.

Although the tour had to wrap up before the family made it to transfusion or had time for the emotions volcano activity, the extra stop in coagulation was more than worth it. The family have been invited back in the future if they’d like to finish the full tour.

Chloe Aman, who helped lead the visit, said:

 It is really important to be flexible and go with the needs of your patients rather that follow a set plan. They got the most out of their visit by seeing the analysers that are used to run their tests, even if it doesn't fit my usual tour plan! 

This tour was a great example of what Harvey’s Lab Tours is all about - meeting young patients where they are, answering their questions, and showing them the real science behind their healthcare.