New pathology labs for hospitals

The new equipment is part of an £18 million, seven year contract with Roche Diagnostics Ltd to provide some of the most advanced pathology equipment available.

The pathology laboratories at both Conquest Hospital and Eastbourne DGH have been significantly upgraded and refurbished into large open plan spaces where new modern robotic analysers and equipment have now been installed.

In a modern pathology laboratory there are very different styles of working, from detailed work on a few samples to high volume analysis using high-tech robotic machines.

The new laboratory robotic analysers and conveyor tracks are now being used to help cope with increasing demand by reducing the cost of testing and minimising errors.

An estimated 70 to 80 percent of all healthcare diagnoses and decisions are directly influenced by pathology test results.

The East Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust said the new equipment will make a ‘significant positive impact on pathology reporting helping to ensure we provide a better service to our patients’.

Dr Joel Newman, consultant haematologist and deputy chief of division for diagnostics, anaesthetics and surgery said: “Our exciting partnership with Roche Diagnostics has enabled us to modernise our pathology service, and the new equipment is making a significant impact on the speed and reliability of the tests we perform and improved the working environment of members of staff in the laboratories.

“This is a significant investment in our pathology service in East Sussex and our new cutting-edge equipment has improved the service to our doctors, nurses and users in the community, giving them the valuable information they need to better treat the patients in their care.”

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