NHS laboratories across Greater Manchester have begun to go live with technology that will transform how pathologists across the region collaborate; helping to improve timely diagnosis of cancers and other illnesses.
Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, which hosts one of seven NHS laboratories in Greater Manchester, has now become the first in the region’s pathology network to complete technical go live of the digital pathology module of an enterprise imaging solution from Sectra. The same system is already being used by every trust in the region to view and report on radiology imaging.
Stockport’s technical deployment will be rapidly followed by other go lives in the region, and a period of extensive clinical testing, that will eventually allow NHS pathologists across the entire of Greater Manchester to swap microscopes for digital images that can be rapidly accessed from anywhere by in-demand specialists. It is anticipated that enhanced utilisation of the region’s pathology workforce will help to drive faster test results for patients.
Dr Shailesh Agrawal, clinical lead for Greater Manchester’s digital pathology programme, and clinical director at Stockport NHS Foundation Trust, said: “This is so important for our speciality. Cellular pathology is a very physical process that has traditionally required pathologists to be in an office with a microscope. Digital pathology allows us to work from almost any location and will help us achieve our goals for collaborative working across Greater Manchester’s pathology network.”
The deployment represents a significant move towards an integrated diagnostic record for patients across Greater Manchester. Eight trusts in Greater Manchester have already completed go-live of the same imaging system for radiology, which now contains x-rays, CT scans, ultrasound, MRI scans and an extensive range of other diagnostic images for patients in the region. Combining this with pathology imaging will provide pathologists with a more complete understanding of the patient, helping them to focus on the right areas in their reports.
Beth Tumilty, programme lead for Greater Manchester Imaging and Pathology Networks, said: “The digital pathology go-live comes at an important time, when elective recovery and cancer diagnostics represent a huge focus in Greater Manchester, and nationally. Digital pathology will be a huge enabler of our region’s efforts to deliver faster cancer diagnoses for patients.”
The deployment will lay the foundations for the application of AI into the pathology environment. It is also expected to support new ways of training the next generation of pathologists in the region.
The Greater Manchester Pathology Network is a collaborative pathology network across the seven GM NHS provider organisations which include:
- Bolton NHS Foundation Trust
- The Christie NHS Foundation Trust
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust
- Stockport NHS Foundation Trust
- Tameside and Glossop Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
The network strives to deliver better patient care across clinical and diagnostic pathways and address health inequalities across the region.