The FRAT requires a venous draw producing 2–4ml of serum, which then has to be spun in a centrifuge on site to separate it from the blood cells, before being couriered — still cold — to the performing laboratory in the United States. That's a specific, five-part requirement, and most providers fail on at least one part of it.
FRAT Testing · Logistics Guide · United Kingdom
Ordering the FRAT is easy. Finding somewhere to draw the blood isn't.
The test needs a venous draw, on-site centrifuging, serum separation and an international courier — and most phlebotomy clinics won't take a child, or don't have a centrifuge. Of roughly 40 private providers across the UK, only nine will draw from a child under 13.
If you've already ordered the kit and are now stuck on where to actually take your child — this is the practical answer.
At a glance
- Age is the whole game. Most UK phlebotomists won't take a child under 16. Nine providers will; five will take a child under 5; one will take a child under 2.
- Scotland has no provider under 12. South and Mid Wales have none under 16. The South West has none under 13.
- The draw must happen Monday or Tuesday. Labs don't accept weekend deliveries, and the serum is only stable a few days.
- Ask about numbing cream at booking — it needs 20–30 minutes to work and isn't offered everywhere.
- Allow up to 75 days for results once the lab receives the sample. That's the laboratory's backlog, not something a provider or the clinic controls.
- This page is the logistics, not an order form. The FRAT itself is only arranged as part of a consultation, not a standalone email request.
The actual problem
The test is straightforward. The blood draw is not.
~40
private phlebotomy providers checked across the UK
9
will draw from a child under 13
5
will draw from a child under 5
1
will draw from a child under 2
A provider only actually works for this test if all five of the following are true: they'll draw from a child that age; they'll accept a third-party kit brought in by the parent; they have a centrifuge on site and will separate the serum; they'll hold or freeze the sample; and they'll either release it to a booked courier collection or hand it back for the parent to drop at a courier point. Most fail on the age limit, or the centrifuge.
Named providers, not just averages
Nine providers, exact age bands, real contact details.
The regional picture
Youngest age covered, region by region.
This is the headline picture — the youngest age a provider in that region will currently take, based on our research. The named providers, their contact details and the full nine-provider breakdown by exact age band are below, unlocked with your email.
| Region | Youngest age covered |
|---|---|
| North West England / North Wales | 6 months |
| Birmingham / Midlands | 6 months – 2 years |
| Warwickshire | 2 years |
| Sussex / Surrey / South East | 2 years |
| East of England | 3 years |
| London | 3 years |
| Yorkshire | 5 years |
| Northern Ireland | 5 years via GP · 10 direct |
| Scotland | 12 years — no younger provision found |
| South & Mid Wales | 16 years — no younger provision found |
| South West England | 13 years — no younger provision found |
The full directory
Every provider, named, with age, price and contact details.
This is the research we didn't want to redo either — nine providers who'll take a paediatric FRAT draw, organised by exact age band, with the named contact, whether they have a mobile service, whether numbing cream is available, and an honest note on how independently confirmed each one is.
Unlock the full UK directory
- All nine under-13 providers, by exact age band
- Named contact, phone/email, mobile coverage and pricing
- The provider screening script, if you need to check one yourself
Subscribe to The Settled Child below — one list, the same one you'd join from any other page on the site — then unlock the directory underneath.
Already subscribed from elsewhere on the site? Same list — just click above.
Directory unlocked. Verification key: Confirmed = checked directly by phone or email · Partial = partially confirmed, verification ongoing · Listing = directory listing only, not independently verified. Prices are approximate and exclude travel — always confirm at booking.
Age 6 months+
| Provider | Covers | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Blood Services North West LtdListing The only provider found taking a child under 2. | North Wales, North West England, Birmingham | Peter Ball · 07719 531394 · bloodservices@mail.com |
Age 2+
| Provider | Covers | Contact | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phlebotomy Services LtdConfirmed Confirmed paediatric FRAT experience; states experience with additional needs. | Kenilworth clinic + UK-wide mobile (paediatric coverage varies by postcode — ask) | Jayne Atkins · 01926 898655 / 07476 388770 | ~£56–£130 |
| Sussex Aesthetics — ask for LaynaListing Two listings at this address — the other is 18+ only. Ask for Layna by name. | Crawley + ~20 miles, mobile | 07843 204150 · lmbbloods@gmail.com | ~£45–£65 |
Age 3+
| Provider | Covers | Contact | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| JM PhlebotomyListing Home visits, draws and centrifuges in the child's own home. Open 24/7; experienced with needle phobia. | Beds, Cambs, Essex, Herts, Norfolk, Suffolk | Jessica Millership · 07763 047252 | ~£100 inc. centrifuge |
| Medical RoomListing | London EC1N — in-clinic or mobile (3–12) | 020 3988 8777 | ~£78 in-clinic |
Age 4–5+
| Provider | Covers | Contact | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bloods and BeyondListing | Nationwide mobile | 033 3339 9932 | ~£80 |
| Prime Response PharmacyListing | London N1 | 020 7837 1430 | ~£90 |
| Miracle InsideListing Fills the Yorkshire / North East gap. Early opening from 07:00. | Leeds LS11 — clinic or mobile | 07984 572767 | ~£65–£85 |
Age 10+ (Northern Ireland)
| Provider | Pathway | Contact | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vitalis Health, BelfastConfirmed Will freeze the sample and release to a booked DHL collection — confirms the full chain. | 10+ direct booking · 5–10 via GP appointment first | 028 9691 3000 · Belfast BT1 6PJ | ~£85 (10+) · ~£210 (5–10) |
Age 10–16+ (older children)
| Provider | Age | Location | Approx. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Health First Surrey | 10+ | Cobham | ~£45–£55 |
| The Calm Place | 10+ | Maplehurst, mobile | ~£25–£40 |
| Lyon Blood Services | 12+ | North West, mobile | ~£60 |
| Tower Bridge Wellness Pharmacy | 12+ | London SE1 | ~£75 |
| Dr Leschen Holistic Medicine | 12+ | Stirling | ~£85+ |
| Jay's Phlebotomy | 13+ | Lincolnshire | ~£55 |
| Dr Indra Functional Medicine | 13+ | Leeds | ~£50 |
| Nourish to Soar | 13+ | Uffculme, Devon | ~£35–£100 |
| Assured Occupational Health | 14+ | Aberdeen | — |
| Rosella Health | 16+ | Edinburgh | ~£60 |
| Pulse Clinic | 16+ | Paisley | ~£45 |
| A.B. Health and Fitness | 16+ | Swansea | ~£25–£100 |
Full names and direct contact numbers for this age band are in the confirmation email — kept out of this page to reduce cold outreach to individual sole traders.
Before you book
Run through this with any provider before confirming: what age they'll take, whether they'll accept a third-party kit, whether they centrifuge and separate serum on site, whether they can freeze and hold the sample, how it leaves their premises (courier collection or handed back to you), whether numbing cream is available, and the total cost including centrifuging. A "UK-wide mobile" listing does not guarantee paediatric cover in your postcode — always ask.
What actually happens
From kit to result.
Once the FRAT has been ordered, this is the sequence a family goes through.
1
The kit is ordered and sent out. The clinic arranges this through the UK/Ireland distributor.
2
You book the blood draw at a provider confirmed to take your child's age, for a Monday or Tuesday. Ask about numbing cream at the same time.
3
The blood is drawn and spun on site into serum, using the kit you bring.
4
The sample goes to the laboratory — either the provider arranges courier collection, or you drop it at a courier point the same day. Confirm which applies before the appointment.
5
Results return in up to 75 days. They're reviewed with you alongside your child's wider history.
Practical details that catch people out
- Draw day must be Monday or Tuesday — labs don't accept weekend deliveries and serum is only stable 3 days refrigerated / 5 days frozen.
- Numbing cream needs 20–30 minutes to work, so it has to be requested at booking, not on arrival.
- A "UK-wide mobile" service does not mean paediatric cover in your specific postcode — always ask directly.
- Some providers require the total cost, including centrifuging, to be paid separately from the FRAT kit itself.
How we work
Working within scope, clearly.
Paul Foley is a registered nutritional therapist and functional medicine practitioner. He orders and interprets the FRAT alongside your child's medical team — not instead of it. This directory is practical research to remove a known logistical barrier; it is not a clinical recommendation of any individual provider's general standard of care.
The verification status shown against each provider reflects what has been independently confirmed at the time of writing. Availability, pricing and paediatric capability change without notice — always confirm directly with the provider before booking.
Nutritional therapy does not diagnose, treat or cure medical conditions. Every child's situation is different, and this page does not predict an outcome for any individual child.
Registered with BANT · CNHC
Common questions
FRAT blood draws — the questions parents ask.
Because the FRAT needs more than a needle. The sample has to be centrifuged on site to separate the serum, and most phlebotomy clinics don't have a centrifuge or won't take a child under 16. Of roughly 40 private providers we've checked across the UK, only nine will draw from a child under 13.
The separated serum is couriered internationally to the laboratory and is only stable for three days refrigerated or five days frozen. Laboratories do not accept weekend deliveries, so a Thursday or Friday draw risks the sample arriving unusable. Monday or Tuesday keeps it inside the window.
Coverage is genuinely patchy — Scotland has no provider taking children under 12, South and Mid Wales have none under 16, and the South West has none under 13. For those regions the realistic options are travel to the nearest covered region, or contacting a mobile provider directly to ask whether your postcode is covered for a paediatric draw with centrifuge.
It varies by provider and whether centrifuging is included, typically somewhere between about £40 and £130 depending on the clinic and the child's age. This is separate from the cost of the FRAT test itself. Always confirm the total, including centrifuging, at the point of booking.
Allow up to 75 days from the laboratory receiving the sample. The laboratory that performs this test is the only one doing so and carries a backlog. Results sometimes arrive sooner, but plan for roughly ten to twelve weeks and continue with other clinical work in the meantime.
No. Several providers on this list specifically work with needle-anxious children, offer numbing cream, or will do the draw at home. Ask about numbing cream when you book — it needs to be applied 20 to 30 minutes beforehand, so it has to be requested in advance, not on arrival.
No. A small number of providers have been confirmed directly by phone or email; the majority are compiled from directory listings and have not been independently verified for paediatric capability in every area. Always confirm age, centrifuging and cost directly with the provider when you book.
Yes, but only as part of an active consultation — it isn't arranged as a standalone request by email. Ordering the FRAT is one part of the wider clinical picture: your child's history, the rest of the functional workup, and how the result will actually be read once it arrives. This page solves the separate practical problem of finding somewhere to have the blood drawn once the kit has been sent to you.
PFOLEY
Start with an investigation, not a guess
Ready to talk it through?
A consultation is where we decide together whether the FRAT is worth ordering for your child, and read the result properly once it arrives.
Book a Consultation →
Sources
- Ramaekers VT, Quadros EV. Cerebral folate deficiency syndrome: early diagnosis, intervention and treatment strategies. Nutrients, 2022. DOI: 10.3390/nu14153096
- Ramaekers VT, et al. Autoantibodies to folate receptors in the cerebral folate deficiency syndrome. N Engl J Med, 2005;352(19):1985–91.
- AONM (Academy of Nutritional Medicine) — FRAT® testing, UK/Ireland distributor. aonm.org/frat-test
- Genova Diagnostics UK — Find a Phlebotomist directory (primary provider source). gdx.net/uk/phlebotomy
Provider details were researched and verified in July 2026, and this page was published in September 2026. Availability, ages and pricing are subject to change without notice — this is a logistics reference, not medical advice.