Patients from across south west London will now get quicker results from common and specialist blood tests as St Helier Hospital yesterday (18 January) opened a new state-of-the-art laboratory to test patient blood samples. The open-plan laboratory has the most up-to-date technology, which will allow more patient samples to be tested and the results to be available more quickly. This will lead to swifter decisions about patient care and support better outcomes for the hospital’s many patients.
The new laboratory can run up to 100,000 tests a day and tests everything from urgent samples from A&E to in-patient ward samples and outpatient and GP samples. The system can automatically prioritise work so that the most urgent samples are tested first.
To construct the new laboratory, 23 rooms were knocked together to create a fresh, open space. The equipment in the laboratory is made up of cutting-edge diagnostic technologies from healthcare technology and pharmaceutical supplier Abbott, who worked in partnership with South West London Pathology to refresh their current platforms at St Helier Hospital.
Group Chief Executive for Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust Jacqueline Totterdell says, “Patients will benefit from this new laboratory by getting quicker results from common and more specialised blood tests. This will allow our clinicians to make prompt and accurate decisions about patient care.
“Pathology staff are often the unsung heroes of healthcare, working behind the scenes to support clinicians in diagnosing conditions and supporting ongoing patient care, so it has been fantastic to be able to celebrate with them today and to recognise the impact their work has on the services we deliver.”
