Blood testing for children is a mess

My daughter is under Birmingham Children's Hospital and needs to have blood tests at least a couple of times per year. Now, there's a website which promises immediate access at various sites in Birmingham for children aged 12-18. But it turns out that it's either Heartlands Hospital or certain days at a medical centre, also in East Birmingham. So we have to travel for miles to get a blood test and the soonest appointment is weeks away. BCH has fitted us in with an appointment as we're under a BCH consultant, but the person I spoke to told me that the problem is that GPs won't take blood from anyone under 18, and they give out the BCH phlebotomy number so they're swamped and the earliest appointment is August. So if you're trying to get a blood test for a child through a GP, you're going to be travelling for miles, or waiting for months. Is Healthwatch aware of this terrible service for children in Birmingham? Why can't GPs take blood from children who are old enough to sit still? Why are children, yet again, just left with a terrible service? If you don't have a car you're looking at pretty much a whole day off school to travel on buses to Heartlands Hospital just to get your child a blood test. I think this is appalling and is something that BSOL ICB should address. My complaint is not about the phlebotomy service, they're doing their best, it's about the system that allows GPs to opt out of providing a basic service for children, and having done so, fails to put in place adequate provision to cover the deficiency.