On Friday 26 March, the South West London Pathology (SWLP) laboratories at Croydon University Hospital were delighted to welcome Trust Chief Executive Matthew Kershaw to open the newly refurbished laboratories.
The laboratories have undergone significant redevelopment work over the last year, which has included:
- the creation of open-plan laboratory space to support multidisciplinary working and to improve the flow of work
- the installation of new equipment to increase capacity and to harmonise with the rest of the SWLP network to allow staff to work across different sites
- the creation of a new area which is being used for rapid Covid-19 testing
- the development of an area for Andrology which reopened in February.
Matthew opened the visit by giving staff a huge thank you for all the work they do, and in particular their commitment throughout the pandemic. He highlighted that the scale of the investment in the laboratories at the hospital shows the value of pathology and how integral it is to the work of the hospital.
SWLP Managing Director Simon Brewer followed this by thanking Matthew for his visit and recognising the hard work that was put into the redevelopment, underlining that at SWLP, staff are our biggest asset.
Matthew spent a lot of time talking to staff in different areas of the laboratories to get an idea of how the services work. He visited reception, rapid Covid-19 testing, biochemistry, haematology and blood transfusion, where staff showed him equipment and talked him through their work. Staff were able to show off what they do and the huge impact that the redevelopment of the laboratories has had.
Matthew says, “I was delighted to be able to open the newly-refurbished laboratories and to have the opportunity to talk to staff and to thank them for all of their hard work in person. I could really sense the atmosphere in the lab and see that everyone is working as a team.”
SWLP Director of Operations Jamie Laughlin says, “This official opening was a fantastic culmination of all of the work that has gone into redeveloping the laboratories. Staff welcomed the opportunity to show Matthew all that they have been doing and to receive well-deserved recognition for their commitment and dedication.
