'Life-changing' blood tests to be rolled out across Lancashire for people with these conditions
People with learning disabilities and needle phobia are benefiting from a painless new form of blood sampling in Lancashire.
Funding has been secured for a new form of blood sampling to be rolled out across Lancashire, for people with phobias or learning difficulties.
TAP capillary testing for people with learning disabilities uses a small, touch-activated device applied to the upper arm to collect blood painlessly. This patient-centred approach offers a far less distressing alternative to routine blood collection, helping to reduce anxiety and improve access to essential healthcare for people who experience significant fear of needles.
Piloted in 2025 by Lancashire and South Cumbria NHS Foundation Trust’s Learning Disability Nursing Team in partnership with University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay (UHMBT), this new way of collecting blood has now been rolled out to 33 GP practices across Lancaster and South Cumbria, with some people supported to also use TAP testing in their own homes.
Lancashire wide
And a successful business case, presented in March to the Integrated Care Board, has secured funding for a widern roll-out across primary care in Lancashire for people with learning disabilities aged 14 and over who experience needle phobia.
Sarah Duffin, trainee advanced clinical practitioner, said: “It can be hard to explain to a patient with a learning disability why we need to take blood which can make the experience even more stressful. By assuring them the process is pain free and often they can do it themselves, we are more likely to be successful and help the patient get the right treatment and care they need.”
LSCFT say patient stories have highlighted the ‘life-changing’ impact of the initiative.