When NHS Super Saturday comes
15 Oct 2021, 6:13 p.m.
On Saturday 16 October, Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH), together with 10 other NHS Trusts in the paediatric sector, is celebrating the extra work being achieved to reduce waiting lists. We’ve called this event Super Saturday.
Annabelle Lea Mai
Our laboratory teams at GOSH have been working hard to test hundreds of COVID samples in our onsite labs. Unfortunately, this has meant some of our testing for more rare conditions hasn’t been happening as quickly as we’d like.
Kimberly Gilmour and Annabelle Lea Mai, scientists from our immunology lab, talked us through how we’ll be working through these on Super Saturday and making a real difference to the patients who have been waiting for answers.
“Clearing the backlog of tests would be brilliant for our patients and their families… And that’s what we’re planning to do on Saturday. The results mean that children could get a more effective treatment, a reduced dose of a drug or a real diagnosis, meaning they’ll no longer need invasive tests to find out what’s wrong. In all these cases, it's going to have very concrete effects on patients and their families.”
Kimberly Gilmour
Kimberley and Annabelle are also providing lab tours for the children on our wards. This gives the patients a chance to see what happens to their blood and is particularly important for those kids who may be frightened of needles. The thinking is if you understand what happens to your blood test, you’re more likely and happier to give your blood.
As Kimberley attests: "It takes away the fear and replaces it with curiosity.”
How to get involved
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