South West London Pathology – Celebrating Innovation in Pathology – 4 May 2016
SWLP held a celebration event on Wednesday 4 May, giving local stakeholders the opportunity to visit our new state-of-the-art pathology hub laboratories located at St George’s University Hospitals in Tooting, south west London.
The celebration was held in association with our main suppliers, including Roche Diagnostics, and guests included Institute of Biomedical Science President, Ian Sturdgess; Dr Andy Mitchell, Medical Director for NHS England, London region; and local stakeholders including GPs using the pathology service and executives from partner Trusts.
The service is delivered using a best-practice ‘hub and spoke’ delivery model with the hub laboratories located at St George’s Hospital. It serves 3.5 million residents across south west London and processes over 17 million tests per year.
It has been one of the UK’s fastest ever pathology service redesigns. The implementation project was delivered in just two years, harnessing a phased approach to ensure a smooth rollout, with everything being delivered on time and on budget.
The microbiology laboratory is now one of the most advanced in the UK, with state of the art technology provided by its trusted partners. South West London Pathology has gained global recognition and showcased the laboratory to private healthcare providers from the UK, Europe, China and Australia as well as NHS hospitals including Imperial College, Frimley Park, Brighton and Sussex and QE Gateshead.
The pathology service has also received external recognition – being shortlisted for a prestigious Health Service Journal, Value in Healthcare Award 2016.
Saghar Missaghian-Cully, Managing Director of South West London Pathology, said:
“We’re all incredibly proud of what we’ve achieved over the past two years. I am delighted that today we have been able to share this achievement with our local stakeholders by showing them around our new pathology laboratories. This has hopefully allowed them to see first-hand the balance of investment and careful planning that has enabled us to create a more efficient and cost effective pathology service.”
Dr Aodhan Breathnach, Clinical Director of South West London Pathology, said:
“Up to 70% of all diagnoses depend on pathology. We now perform over 17 million tests per year and we know that the demand for pathology services will grow. Our integrated system, underpinned by an adaptable and flexible IT system, has improved efficiency, safety, quality and the cost of pathology services and can adapt to the growing demand.”
Paul Skingley, Director of Centralised Solutions at Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland said:
“This project has required close collaboration between South West London Pathology and the Roche Diagnostics team, and truly demonstrates how pathology services can be successfully consolidated to provide an outstanding service. I’d like to congratulate all the South West London Pathology staff members on this exceptional achievement and look forward to continuing to work with them closely in the future.”