BOLTON medics are fighting young patients' fear of needles -- with strawberry-flavoured oxygen and jokes!

And it certainly worked for Deane youngster Rachel George who was terrified when she had to have surgery on her finger -- because she knew she had to be injected.

But thanks to some sweet-tasting gas and a few kind words from staff the 12-year-old didn't even notice the injection -- and her fear of syringes has now disappeared.

The strawberry flavour is inside the rim of the mask and gets released when the oxygen starts flowing. Spearmint and banana are also on the "menu".

Now the Mount St Joseph pupil says she will never be frightened of needles again.

"She was freaking out at first, screaming and panicking," mum Gail, from Addington Road, recalled.

"Rachel has been terrified of needles ever since a practice nurse broke a needle when she had to have her immunisation.

"I was very worried about the reaction of staff at the hospital.

But it was fantastic. "They gave her a mask with strawberry-flavoured oxygen and she was so busy laughing that she didn't even know they had put the needle in.

"They told her: 'Look, the needle is already in' and she couldn't believe it.

"Then they started counting down and telling her jokes and she fell asleep halfway through the jokes.

"They were really, really lovely.

"There is so much bad press about hospitals but they took their time and were very relaxed with her.

"Later, when I went to get Rachel a sandwich from the restaurant, the surgeon saw me and asked me how she was. They were so nice, just ordinary people.

"Rachel is now over her needle phobia -- they don't worry her at all now."

Theatre staff were bowled over by the kind words from Rachel and her mum.

It's not often that they come in for praise, which "made a nice change", according to operating department practitioner Scott Smethurst.

The 29-year-old from St Helens Road made a big impression on little Rachel with his good humour.

"Before Rachel realised, it was done -- that's the idea," he recalled.

Auxiliary nurse Lynn Rayner added: "I knew Rachel was frightened when she came in, but Scott helped to divert her attention." BOLTON medics are fighting young patients' fear of needles -- with strawberry-flavoured oxygen and jokes!

And it certainly worked for Deane youngster Rachel George who was terrified when she had to have surgery on her finger -- because she knew she had to be injected.

But thanks to some sweet-tasting gas and a few kind words from staff the 12-year-old didn't even notice the injection -- and her fear of syringes has now disappeared.

The strawberry flavour is inside the rim of the mask and gets released when the oxygen starts flowing. Spearmint and banana are also on the "menu".

Now the Mount St Joseph pupil says she will never be frightened of needles again.

"She was freaking out at first, screaming and panicking," mum Gail, from Addington Road, recalled.

"Rachel has been terrified of needles ever since a practice nurse broke a needle when she had to have her immunisation.

"I was very worried about the reaction of staff at the hospital.

But it was fantastic.

"They gave her a mask with strawberry-flavoured oxygen and she was so busy laughing that she didn't even know they had put the needle in.

"They told her: 'Look, the needle is already in' and she couldn't believe it.

"Then they started counting down and telling her jokes and she fell asleep halfway through the jokes.

"They were really, really lovely.

"There is so much bad press about hospitals but they took their time and were very relaxed with her.

"Later, when I went to get Rachel a sandwich from the restaurant, the surgeon saw me and asked me how she was. They were so nice, just ordinary people.

"Rachel is now over her needle phobia -- they don't worry her at all now."

Theatre staff were bowled over by the kind words from Rachel and her mum.

It's not often that they come in for praise, which "made a nice change", according to operating department practitioner Scott Smethurst.

The 29-year-old from St Helens Road made a big impression on little Rachel with his good humour.

"Before Rachel realised, it was done -- that's the idea," he recalled.

Auxiliary nurse Lynn Rayner added: "I knew Rachel was frightened when she came in, but Scott helped to divert her attention."