Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust officially opened its innovative new laboratory medicine development this week.

The new facility boasts investment in service redesign and new high state-of-the-art equipment, including a 26 metre long automated track to increase efficiency. 

More than 9,000 samples will be tested 24 hours a day each day every year from patients attending the Hospital Trust and GPs in the surrounding community, with complete turnaround within 24 hours for the majority of samples.  The new facility also provides specialist testing across the region for diseases such as Tuberculosis, cervical cancer, HPV, chlamydia and MRSA.

Lord Carter of Coles and Trust Chairman, Lord Philip Hunt unveiled a plaque to mark the occassion.  Lord Patrick Carter of Coles, said: “I am delighted to be here for the opening of this new pathology laboratory at HEFT.  Really all the components of a good pathology service are in place.

“This facility provides the best equipment and people to deliver services in an efficient manner – it shows what can be done.”

Steve Waller, general manager of pathology, said: “I am really pleased with the development.  It’s more than just a new building, new equipment and new way of working; it will help improve services to patients.  It has been designed by those who manage the laboratory to improve the turnaround of samples through automated testing as well as applying the latest technology through facilities such as the specialist testing suite for molecular sciences.”

Jointly funded in partnership with Public Health England West Midlands, the world class development includes a two storey extension to the current pathology building on the Heartlands Hospital site and accommodates a new centralised core laboratory facility testing a multitude of specimens from blood to biopsies.