Hi Heidi! What exactly IS a Health Assessment Specialist?

We’re the people who you come to see that do all your Bluecrest Wellness tests and checks. That includes blood tests, things like ECG tests looking at heart rhythm, body biometrics – so your height and weight, body composition – plus muscle mass and bone mass, blood pressure and fitness testing.

Where do you work?

We travel round to different locations, wherever there’s a pop-up clinic, usually in places like hotels that are easy for people to get to.

How did you become a Health Assessment Specialist?

I’ve always been passionate about health and wellness, and I’ve worked as a personal trainer doing nutrition and exercise classes - and even run my own bootcamp business in the past! But I wanted to do something more hands-on and health related, and I loved what Bluecrest are doing. So I applied for the Health Assessment Specialist role.

Most of the team are ex-NHS, or come from a health or sports science background, and everyone goes through the same Bluecrest Wellness training programme.

What sort of training do you get?

There’s an initial two weeks at a dedicated training centre doing basic anatomy and physiology, sterilisation techniques, and of course phlebotomy – taking blood. We practice on a dummy for a while, and then on other people in our training group. We then get paired up with a senior technician and shadow them in the field for around two months.

After doing a certain number of clinic hours, everyone has a final assessment to become officially certified. We’re then reassessed every year.

Why use Health Assessment Specialists?

Well it’s our job to gather all the right information and data, so it can be sent off and analysed. When people get their report there’s a Bluecrest helpline where people can talk to doctors about the results. But for the actual testing bit, we’re the experts!

We do blood tests all day every day, and that means we’re really, really good at it. I get told all the time that people hardly feel a thing when I take their blood. I’m confident I can usually get a sample from even the most stubborn veins – and do it without leaving so much as a bruise!

What do you like best about your job?

I love helping people prioritise their health, and helping them look after it.

I also love meeting people – you hear such fascinating stories. Depending on what kind of Health Assessments you’re booked in for, it can take 20 – 40 minutes, so there’s time to have a chat, get to know people at bit, and understand something about their history, health goals, and plans for the future.

It's my job to make sure people have a good, comfortable experience, and leave feeling happier, more in control - and more confident about their health.

How do you take blood?

Most of the time we’ll take a sample from the inside of your elbow. Occasionally we’ll take it from the back of the hand with a very fine butterfly needle if we can’t locate a good vein in the arm. And then for some types of assessment we do finger prick tests to get small drops of blood from the pad of a finger.

Where does the blood go?

Well, the finger prick tests are for things like blood sugar or cholesterol and we’ve got test kits to do that immediately on site. And we do the blood spinning on site too, so it travels better when it gets sent off to the Bluecrest labs at the end of every shift.

We carry a lot of high-tech kit around with us, but I think of that as part of my exercise regime!

How much blood do you take in a day?

Quite a lot! Usually 2 vials per person, and I can see 15 or 20 people a day.

What are your top tips for having a blood test?

Make sure the day before you drink plenty of water. If you’re dehydrated it’s much harder to get a sample. Wear something loose so we can get to your arm - and wear something warm, because if you’re too cold it can be harder to find a vein, too.

What I would say is don’t worry too much – we’ve got lots of tricks up our sleeves. We can warm you up with water, or get you to do your step-test first to get the blood pumping round your body.

What if you do feel nervous?

Just let us know! We usually do bloods at the end of an assessment, but we can do it first if you need to get it over and done with. We can lie you down if that’s what you’d prefer and tell you when to look away if you don’t want to see the needle or the blood. We’re really good at helping you feel comfortable and having a chat to help distract you.

Why should people get a health assessment?

I think everyone wants to know what’s going on with their health, so they can have that peace of mind. It really is like an MOT - and we do that for our car every year. I’m seeing more and more people want to do the same for their body.

What are you most proud of?

I actually won an award for Bluecrest Wellness Employee of the Year! Which seems so odd to me because I’m just being me and doing a job I really love. It was nice to get that recognition, though, and I like to think that I’m representing all the Health Assessment Specialists. So it belongs a little bit to all of us.