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28 Mar 2019, 3:59 p.m.

Illustration of the sample chutes at GOSH

Did you know that across the hospital, within the walls, floors and corridors, patient blood samples whizz from our wards to the labs, via the chute, where they’re processed and used for diagnostics?

In the blink of an eye, every lab sample is propelled through a network of tubes. In a hospital the size of GOSH, making good time means better medicine, and the chute is an important part of a complex chain that gives our doctors timely lab results they need to make decisions about our patients.

The clock starts ticking as soon as a sample is drawn, and our lab team relies on every ward getting samples to them as quickly as possible. The chute system has a complete set of checks and balances – sensing where containers are needed and sending them. It also controls the airflow to slow down the containers for a soft landing at their destination.

NHS eye gene therapy restores Saffie's sight

Saffie has had her sight restored thanks to life-changing eye gene therapy for rare blindness at GOSH

£3M study led by patient voices targets pain in inflammatory arthritis

A new £3 million research programme involving Great Ormond Street Hospital and University College London researchers aims to tackle one of the largest unmet clinical needs in inflammatory arthritis – pain reduction.

Transport for London (TfL) strikes: April and May 2026

There are upcoming London Underground strikes planned which may affect your journey to GOSH.

Liquids to solids: the simple trick transforming children's lives and saving thousands of pounds

Switching children and young people’s medication from liquids to pills can transform their lives and save thousands of pounds for the NHS at the same time.