Building on the success of last year’s Siemens Academy meeting, the 2010 three-day gathering of over 200 managers and biomedical scientists from the UK and Ireland took place in Manchester. Achieving efficiencies and productivity in times of change was the theme.
The Siemens Academy meeting held earlier in the year saw specific departmental sessions for haematology, point-of-care (POC) testing, immunoassay, clinical chemistry and infectious diseases structured around a day of management speakers from the Department of Health and The Royal College of Pathologists setting the tone for what challenges lie ahead. In addition, best-practice case examples of productivity gains included Cumbria and Lancashire Commissioning Network and King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Evening hospitality was provided at the Concorde Conference Centre with guests dining under the wings of one of the world’s most famous and innovative icons.
Surprising gaps in knowledge
Dr Ian Barnes, National Clinical Director for Pathology at the Department of Health, took to the stage during the management session with a presentation on the changing NHS environment and the anticipated impact on pathology. He set the tone sharply, stating that “the budget announcement this summer is just the start of public sector budget cuts that are coming over the next year”, and he warned that “it is going to bite”.
With this sobering thought established, he provided positive discussion and ideas that could be called upon in preparation for the times ahead. For example, he called for departments to become more efficient and productive, but not at the expense of quality.
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