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High-speed laboratory network: Morecambe Bay reaps the benefits of automation

Pathology networks and challenging geography are not immediately compatible but the latest automation solutions from Beckman Coulter can minimise the inherent problems, as the following case study from north-west England demonstrates.

The pathology service at University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust (UHMBT) already handles more than 11 million test requests annually from its external and internal customers. The trust serves a widely dispersed catchment area, operating from three main hospital sites at Furness General Hospital, Royal Lancaster Infirmary and Westmorland General Hospital. Each provides a range of 'general hospital' services alongside accident and emergency (A&E), critical/coronary care and consultant-led services at both Furness and Lancaster, plus a primary care assessment service with GP-led in-patient services in Kendal. In addition, Morecambe Bay offers a range of local outreach services.

A predominantly rural county, Cumbria is considered one of the most beautiful regions of the UK and includes the Lake District, the Eden Valley, the North Pennines, the Furness Peninsula and part of the Yorkshire Dales. However, the landscape presents a special challenge when it comes to providing a modern laboratory service that meets the requirements of the NHS Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) agenda. Restrictions to transport links, often difficult and mountainous terrain, and three widely dispersed hospital sites, all with limitations on space to expand, put unwelcome pressure on overall efficiency and turnaround time.

The objective of the trust’s recently completed two-year procurement process was to identify a managed service provider to work alongside the pathology team as a long-term partner. Crucially, it was about matching, and exceeding, official directives on quality and performance, not about reducing staff. The best clinical fit was seen to be Beckman Coulter UK, involving a minimum contract period of seven years, managing a complex portfolio of third-party suppliers and including the provision of dedicated support to the trust. Already the world’s largest laboratory automation provider, Beckman Coulter is now a flagship brand within the Danaher group, one of the world’s most successful companies in science and technology with an annual turnover of $16 billion.

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