4 September 2025
Young patient Tilly joined Biomedical Scientists at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital who volunteered their time to show the work that goes on behind the scenes.
The visit was part of Harvey’s Lab Tours, a programme designed to help young patients and their families understand what happens to their samples after they’re taken.
Kitted out in their very own lab coats and clipboard, Tilly and her brother Jesse joined Amber Haynes, Healthcare Scientist on a tour of several areas within the Pathology department.
The tour included seeing cells under the microscope, preparing a tissue sample for processing, sending a penguin through the internal pod system and seeing a giant worm (parasite) in a jar.
Amber said: “We were really excited to be able to show Tilly and her family what goes on in Pathology. It’s so important that young patients who want to learn more about their illness get a chance to see it from a completely different perspective. It can help with a sense of closure and empowerment.
“Meeting the patients behind the samples adds a personal dimension to our work and reminds us why it matters.”
For Tilly, who received treatment at the Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust after being diagnosed with leukaemia in 2020, it was a chance to see what had happened to her blood samples when they had reached the lab and to see how the leukaemia had changed the look of her cells under a microscope.
Her mum, Helen, said: “Tilly received treatment in the Oncology department at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford. She was really interested to find out how her Full Blood Count (FBC) was calculated, and this was explained really well.
“She was able to look at leukaemia cells under the microscope which was very interesting. Amber was very good at explaining things at Tilly’s level.”
“Tilly found it interesting from the perspective of learning about her own illness but also very useful as she would like to enter the medical profession in some way and this gave her an opportunity to ask different people about what their job entailed.”
Paula Gardner, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, said: “We are proud to support Harvey’s Lab Tours and the positive impact they have on young patients and their families. It’s lovely to hear that not only did Tilly and Jesse find the tour informative, but that it’s also been inspirational in terms of a possible career step for Tilly.”
Harvey’s Lab Tours aim to ease children’s fears, offer reassurance, and help them feel more confident and informed about their healthcare. For families, it’s a chance to ask questions in an informal setting and see the care that goes into every result.
Harvey’s Lab Tours are an initiative of the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS), the professional body for biomedical scientists in the UK.
Caption: Tilly, 12, observing leukaemia cells under a microscope with Amber Haynes, Healthcare Scientist.