A new state of the art laboratory system is more than halving turnaround times on blood test results for patients – leading to a quicker diagnosis and treatment.
The FlexLab system at The Royal Oldham Hospital was the first of its kind to be installed in the UK and is now running 24/7. It has enabled laboratory staff to speed up the process of testing samples that are received from GP practices.
FlexLab is a huge, automated conveyor belt system that once loaded by staff, transports blood samples across the laboratory, loading the blood tubes onto the analysers for testing. This system can process up to 15,525 samples every hour and over 370,000 samples per day.
Previously, a blood sample taken at a GP surgery would have taken over four hours (on average) once received at the lab to be tested, analysed and the results returned to the clinician. Thanks to the new system, it can be done in under two hours.
Delia Gallagher, biochemistry technical manager, said: “We know how anxious patients can feel waiting for test results, so having a quicker turnaround time means we can ensure they receive diagnosis as soon as possible so they can get the treatment they need.
“It has been positively received by colleagues working across the lab and allows us to prioritise and process urgent test results from our A&E departments within an hour of being received, which could potentially be lifesaving.”
The laboratory automation system from Inpeco and Siemens Healthineers, supports biochemistry, serology, haematology, and coagulation services across the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust’s network, which includes The Royal Oldham Hospital and pathology services at Wrightington, Wigan, and Leigh NHS Foundation Trust.
The new system has also been installed at Salford Royal Hospital with Emma Cowling, deputy laboratory manager at Salford Royal awarded the Siemens Healthineers Customer Excellence Award for her work on this.