1st March 2017
Last month the second year BTEC Biology students and several A-level Biologists spent a day at the NHS Blood Transfusion Centre in Filton.
Students at the bank
The centre is the largest blood processing facility in the world and services 90 hospitals across the country using state of the art technology to process almost 2 million donations a year.
The aim of the day was to provide students with an overview of the role of scientists in the National Blood Service. Protective clothing meant disposable coats, gloves, shoe covers and hair bags were worn, and students then washed their hands repeatedly in all flavours of alcohol before entering the facility.
The logistics of bagging, tagging, delivering, processing, analysing and dispatching products within a tight time scale are astoundingly well organised in a centre the size of a megastore. Students enjoyed an additional treat this year, as they were about to visit the new eye bank.
The tour gave students first-hand experience of scientists and technicians at work and every one of them was tremendously impressed, with several now considering studying biomedical science at University!
