A cutting-edge pathology laboratory designed to serve patients across West Yorkshire has been officially opened by the Minister of State for Health and Secondary Care, Will Quince.
Minister Quince, Dame Linda Pollard and Professor Phil Wood performed the official opening alongside partners from Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, Calderdale & Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust and the West Yorkshire Integrated Care Board.
Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust's Centre for Laboratory Medicine marks a significant milestone in regional healthcare as it is set to house pathology services from Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust and Calderdale and Huddersfield NHS Foundation Trust.
In addition to Minister Quince, the opening event attracted a host of VIP guests including West Yorkshire Mayor, Tracy Brabin, all of whom had the privilege of touring the state-of-the-art facility. Adding a touch of educational value to the occasion, young scientists from Mount St Mary's Catholic High School participated in pathology experiments alongside the Trust's dedicated staff, as part of the project’s wider community engagement programme.
Guests also engaged with project staff and partners from BAM, Siemens Healthineers and Clinisys to gain insights into the benefits this modern facility promises to deliver to patients, healthcare professionals, and the wider community.
This pioneering regional partnership, forged in collaboration with the West Yorkshire Association of Acute Trusts (WYAAT), will drive innovation in testing and diagnostics. Equipped with advanced technology and cutting-edge equipment, the laboratory aims to deliver faster results for patients, irrespective of their geographical location.
Health Minister Will Quince said: “This new, cutting-edge pathology laboratory will serve thousands of patients across West Yorkshire – helping to deliver faster results, speed up diagnoses and cut waiting lists. Backed by £35million of government funding, this new lab will look at more innovative ways to test and diagnose patients and will be equipped with advanced technology and the latest equipment. Crucially, by consolidating current services into one place it will streamline access to testing and improve working environments for staff.”
Currently, most of the Trust’s pathology services are delivered from outdated facilities in the Old Medical School at the Leeds General Infirmary (LGI) as well as from St James’s Hospital. The new building will bring many of these services together into one purpose-built facility and once vacated, the Old Medical School will be repurposed as part of a plan to use surplus estate at the LGI to develop an innovation village which is expected to deliver up to 4,000 new jobs, more than 500 new homes and almost £13bn in net present value.
Additionally, the laboratory will adopt a single, shared Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) to enable electronic test requests, tracking, and results reporting to clinical services across West Yorkshire and Harrogate. The Centre for Laboratory Medicine is set to become fully operational in 2024 after the installation of cutting-edge equipment and technology.
In addition to this milestone, construction of a new Acute Hospital Laboratory at Leeds General Infirmary has been completed, providing essential pathology testing facilities to support clinical services as the primary pathology services transition to the new St James's facility.
