Faster analysis: hundreds of thousands of English patients feel the benefit

In the modular vanguard
Southmead Hospital, part of the North Bristol NHS Trust, is the first site in the UK, and the second worldwide, to go live with Roche’s brand new cobas 8000 series high-throughput modular analyser. Located in the hospital’s new automated laboratory, the system allows test results to be achieved more quickly and efficiently than ever before, meaning that half a million people in north Bristol, south Gloucestershire and north Somerset will now benefit from faster laboratory results.

The cobas 8000 has replaced multiple analytical systems,” explains Mike Gillett, clinical biochemistry laboratory manager. “We can now perform the majority of our routine tests in a single passage through the analytical system, using a single patient sample. The ability to load just one rack on the cobas 8000, together with the system’s intelligent sample routing, will reduce our turnaround times significantly.”
 The speed and broad assay menu offered by the cobas 8000 allows clinicians to obtain results for the majority of routine blood test requests more quickly, which means that patients are able to receive the most appropriate treatment at the earliest opportunity. The powerful cobas 8000 delivers this increased productivity for Southmead Hospital in a compact, modular system with a surprisingly small footprint.

“The cobas 8000 provides us with the opportunity to have a greater throughput to space ratio than before,” Mike adds. “It also allows us to future-proof the service that we provide. We anticipate our throughput to increase by at least a third as the new laboratory takes on more of the trust’s workload, and the cobas 8000 will allow us to continue to provide an efficient and timely service.”