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Support for the UK’s fastest service redesign to deliver modernisation efficiencies

Through the rapid, smooth and seamless implementation of new automated equipment and systems, Beckman Coulter supported a South West London Pathology redesign across three large hospital sites. This article discusses how this was achieved and some of the efficiencies delivered.

Recognising that the traditional model of standalone pathology services was not sustainable clinically or financially, in February 2013 Croydon Health Services NHS Trust, Kingston Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and St George’s University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust agreed to form a pathology partnership. In line with the pathology modernisation recommendations of the recent Carter reports,1,2 the aim of the partnership was to consolidate and bring together the best of each trust’s current pathology services and provide them in a coordinated and streamlined way. In so doing, they could deliver a single, integrated, high-quality, NHS-led pathology service to hospitals and GPs across south-west London. Named South West London Pathology (SWLP), the new partnership was officially established on 1 April 2014.

                    In just 18 months SWLP had specified requirements, undergone a full tender and procurement process, as well as reconfigured and re-equipped the pathology laboratories across all three sites, crucially without interruption to the existing service delivery. Now, the majority of pathology services are provided from the main state-of-the-art ‘hub’ laboratories at St George’s, with satellite or ‘spoke’ fully automated clinical blood science laboratories at the two other busy district general hospital sites. The service provided by SWLP covers 3.5 million people across south-west London via the three hospitals, 200 GP practices and 30 healthcare centres, carrying out over 15 million core and specialist tests annually.

Adopting a hub-and-spoke model

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Upcoming Events

USCAP 113th Annual Meeting

Baltimore Convention Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA
23-28 March, 2024

Pathology Horizons 2024

MacDonald Bath Spa Hotel, Bath
18-20 April, 2024

Diagnostics North East Conference 2024

The Catalyst, Newcastle upon Tyne
19 April, 2024

ECCMID 2024 - European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases

Fira Gran Via, 08038 Barcelona, Spain
27-30 April 2024

British Society for Microbial Technology Annual Microbiology Conference

UK Health Security Agency, Colindale, London
2 May 2024

EQA Reports: Interpreting Key Information & Troubleshooting Tips

ONLINE - Zoom
Thursday 16th May 2024

Access the latest issue of Pathology In Practice on your mobile device together with an archive of back issues.

Download the FREE Pathology In Practice app from your device's App store

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